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Employment and Support Allowance

Asked by Sir Mel StrideConservativeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 8 April 2025UIN 43442

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of new style Employment and Support Allowance claims have been in payment for at least (a) three, (b) six, (c) 12, and (d) 18 months for (i) the Work Related Activity Group and (ii) the Support Group.

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

The following table shows the volume of new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) and Support Group (SG) claims that have been in payment for at least three, six, 12 and 18 months.

Volumes of ESA claims that have been in payment for at least three, six, 12 and 18 months

In payment for at least:

Work-related Activity Group

Support Group

3 months

6,000

708,000

6 months

5,000

701,000

12 months

1,000

677,000

18 months

-

653,000

Source: DWP administrative data for Employment and Support Allowance

Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.

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