Access to Work Programme: Travel
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the average time taken to process claims for transport support through the Access to Work scheme; and what steps she is taking to reduce that time.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. Access to Work does not differentiate between applications. Applications are processed in date order except for applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing, these are prioritised.
We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.
In March 2025, DWP published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. Alongside this, we are considering further changes within the existing policy framework to reduce the backlog of applications.
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