Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people on Universal Credit have been sanctioned while awaiting a work capability assessment; and of those, how many have been subsequently assessed as having (a) limited capability for work and (b) limited capability for work related activity in each of the last 12 months for which data is available; and if he will make it his policy not to subject people awaiting (i) a work capability assessment and (ii) the outcome of work capability assessment to conditionality.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Conditionality supported by sanctions has been a longstanding feature of welfare benefit entitlements in the UK since the formation of the welfare state. Access to earnings replacement benefits, for example, is traditionally conditional on recipients being involuntarily unemployed and subject to reasonable work-related requirements.

We will not expect a claimant to take up a job while they have suitable medical evidence, until the outcome of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Any work-related requirements are agreed in discussion between the work coach and claimant. These should always be tailored to reflect the impact of the claimant’s health condition, disability, and wider circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable

We exempt people with more serious medical conditions and disabilities, and those who are terminally ill, from any form of conditionality and sanctions. This includes those who have been found to have Limited Capability for Work or Work-Related Activity following their WCA.

In particular circumstances, work coaches can exempt claimants from usual availability and work search requirements for a temporary period by applying discretionary or compulsory easements. These circumstances include temporary periods of sickness.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants with cystic fibrosis as their main disabling condition have been (a) placed in the limited capability for work-related activity group, (b) placed in the limited capability for work group and (c) found fit for work at Work Capability Assessments in each year since 2013.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Official Statistics for Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments (UC WCA) cover key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes, from April 2019. As set out in the published release strategy we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics, accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to worksheet 1 of his Department's Data tables: Health and Disability benefits based on data from 2019 to 2022, published on 20 July 2023, whether his Department has undertaken analysis of the health conditions reported by the 516,100 people with limited capability for work and work-related activity who are not receiving a personal independence payment.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Currently we do not report aggregate information about whether or not a UC claimant has reported specific health conditions and to collate and quality assure this information would incur disproportionate costs.

DWP have published a forward-looking Release Strategy for UC-WCA Official Statistics including plans to develop and publish statistics on WCA decisions by health conditions under Phase 2. See here for further details:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-wca-statistics-release-strategy/universal-credit-work-capability-assessment-statistics-release-strategy

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of work capability assessment decisions were overturned at tribunal in each of the four most recent quarters for which data is available.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessments, including appeal decision outcomes are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

The Official Statistics for Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published release strategy we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit with (a) Limited capability for work and (b) Limited capability for work and work-related activity who had a mental health condition as of March 2023.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The initial release of Official Statistics for Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments (UC WCA) on 8 June 2023 covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published release strategy we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what were (1) the average waiting times, and (2) the average length of waiting lists, for assessments for (a) Child Disability Living Allowance, and (b) the limited capability for work element of Universal Credit, for each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the case of Disability Living Allowance for children, the data is not available. Decisions are made on behalf of the Secretary of State by Case Managers from evidence supplied by parents and medical professionals, and do not require an assessment.

In Universal Credit (UC) a claimant is only deemed to have limited capability for work after an assessment has been completed, and a decision made by a DWP decision maker. We have, therefore, interpreted part 2 of your question to mean the total number of UC claimants, who have been referred to the assessment provider, and are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) in each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available.

To manage the assessment service effectively, we hold the number of outstanding WCA referrals made to the assessment provider. The number of UC WCA referrals outstanding at the end of each month are shown in the table below:

Please note:

• All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000;
• All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers; and
• The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication Standards.

There will always be outstanding referrals in the assessment process, from those claimants, who have been asked to return a Capability for Work questionnaire and have yet to do so, through to those with an assessment scheduled in the coming weeks. The department closely monitors the levels of outstanding referrals. Not all of these cases will require the claimant to attend an assessment. Where there is already sufficient evidence to determine benefit entitlement, claims will be assessed on a paper basis.

With regards to waiting times, the initial release of Official Statistics on UC WCA covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published Release Strategy, we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2023

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2023

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to September 2023

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to September 2023

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment, April 2019 to June 2023

Found: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment, April 2019 to June 2023

Found: emails about this page Applies to England, Scotland and Wales Documents Universal

Found: emails about this page Applies to England, Scotland and Wales Documents Universal

Found: This release strategy acts as the formal notice of the confirmed and proposed developments for Universal

Found: and Support Allowance and Universal Credit Effect of New Style Employment and Support Allowance on Universal