Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for a work capability assessment is for claimants in (a) Torbay local authority area, (b) the South West region and (c) England.

Mike Penning

The average waiting time for a Work Capability Assessment in the period from March 2013 to February 2014 is as follows:

Torbay local authority area – the information is not available in respect of Local Authority areas

The South West – 110 working days

England – 71 working days

We announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 27 March our plans to achieve a reduction in waiting times and next steps, including Atos Healthcare’s withdrawal from delivery of Work Capability Assessments in Great Britain before the end of the current contract .

Atos Healthcare will continue to deliver Work Capability Assessments until contract exit and will still be subject to a quality and service credit regime. We will continue to work with Atos to ensure they can deliver the best service possible to claimants until they leave the contract.