The Department of Work and Pensions has said long waits are being caused by ‘significant backlogs’ and inefficient systems
Disabled people are being warned they could face a wait of 37 weeks for a key benefit which forms part of a major government plan. The Labour government has launched a major overhaul of the welfare system saying it wants to see more people with disabilities back in work.
It used the Access to Work benefit as part of its plan to help thousands of people with health conditions get back into work, as it aims for an 80% employment rate, as announced last year. However, the Department of Work and Pensions has now admitted there is a delay for new applicants seeking help through the benefit which helps those with additional needs to either get into work or remain working.
Giving evidence to the Commons public accounts committee following a report into the problem by the National Audit Office, Helga Swidenbank, the DWP director of accessibility, disability and disputes, confirmed people calling to make a claim were being told they could have to wait 37 weeks. She explained: “When a customer calls our Access to Work helpline, we have a voice recording that will tell them how long it is likely to take for a decision to be made.
“At the moment, we are saying 37 weeks, so that information is out there and accessible to customers.” She said this was the longest it would take; however, it sparked a response from other members of the committee who were taken aback at the news.
After committee member Blake Stephenson uttered: “Thirty-seven weeks!”, committee chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, told her: “Can I stop you there? I hear Blake complaining. He is quite right to do so—37 weeks is more than six months.”
Neil Couling, Director General, DWP Services and Fraud, said he was going to “offer a glimmer of hope”, adding: “In the report, the average time taken was 109 days. It is starting to turn. I am not saying this is acceptable or that I am pleased with this, but I am encouraged that it is now down to 106.”
He said once “you start getting some momentum” the numbers do start to fall. adding: “The situation is starting to turn, through the actions we have taken. But we prioritise those in work, or those about to start work, and then the payment backlogs first, because to us that seemed like a logical way to deal with the problem that we had.”
However Mr Stephenson continued: “Yes. I just cannot imagine the frustration that our constituents would feel on hearing an automated voice message tell them that it could take 37 weeks for them to have a decision. That is why I was exasperated.”
Labour MP Amanda Hack, a member of the work and pensions committee, who was attending the session as a guest, said: “It is very hard not to be distracted by the 37 weeks figure—I had my first baby quicker than 37 weeks. We do not really appreciate the fact that, behind the figure, there is a person waiting for their claim, or an employer waiting to employ somebody.
“That is a really difficult premise—the fact there is an individual sitting behind each claim. There is clear evidence that the backlog is having an impact, whether that is on job security for those with a current open claim, or on employers taking on a new person.”
The National Audit Office report found that in November 2025 the average time taken for a decision claim was 109 days. However the DWP has a target of 25 days.
The committee was told the delays were stopping people from getting jobs and affecting businesses who were not getting the money they were due to. Charities were also being affected by it.
Sir Peter Schofield, DWP permanent secretary, said the number of claims had doubled since the start of the covid pandemic and claims were increasingly more complex. He also said people were claiming for help through the scheme for bills their employer should pay – such as suitable chairs.
He added some employers were also “misusing” the scheme to get disabled workers to apply for grants for support workers who were then doing jobs that the employer would normally employ someone else to do.
He said priority was given to those “who have a job offer, are waiting to work and should be ready to start work in the next four weeks”. He added that those “go to the front of the queue”.
He said steps were being taken to reduce the backlog including employing more people to work on the Access To Work claims as well as improving the consistency of decision making and productivity. He added: “By way of arithmetic, unless demand continues to grow again, that will inexorably reduce the backlog and get us down to where we need to get to.”
