Written questions by Buckley.

What consideration has been given to allowing appointees to use the Access to Work online portal.

The Access to Work online portal has been designed to ensure that customers can manage their own claims securely and efficiently, following identity verification to protect personal information and prevent fraud. At present, the service does not include functionality for appointees to submit claims on behalf of customers. This is because the portal relies on individual identity verification to maintain the security and integrity of the process. However, we continue to provide a paper-based route for appointees to ensure that support remains available for those who need it.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the delays in decisions on Disability Living Allowance claims.

We have seen unprecedented demand in new claims to the DLA Child service line. Additional resources have been deployed, and cases are cleared in date order to ensure fair customer service. As a result, we are seeing improvements in our processing times for new claims. As of the 30th December 2024, The Actual Average Clearance Time was 97.8 days and has since reduced to 57.3 days as of 25th of August 2025, a reduction of 40.5 days.

What recent assessment she has made of the processing times of (a) applications for and (b) mandatory reconsiderations of Disability Living Allowance.

From April 2025 to August 2025, the actual average clearance times (AACT) for new Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims is 77 days. Over the same period, the AACT for DLA Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) is 125 days. These figures are averages, and are for child DLA claims only, as new claims for DLA are only open to children under the age of 16.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for housing support on incentives to seek employment for people in (a) temporary and (b) supported accommodation.

The Department acknowledges the challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those working and living in supported housing as the two systems were never intended to run alongside one another. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence, and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. The Department will continue to work to build our understanding of this topic and to evaluate future policy options. It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of tapering the reduction of housing support when people living in (a) temporary and (b) supported accommodation move off income-related benefits and into work.

The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. For those not on Universal Credit, housing support is tapered when their income exceeds the applicable amount. On Universal Credit, for those claimants in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation their housing support is not tapered as they are passported to full Housing Benefit. This ensures parity with Universal Credit and avoids them being tapered on both Universal Credit and Housing Benefit which could disincentivise work. The Department acknowledges the challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those working and living in supported housing and temporary accommodation. This issue is a complex one, officials are working to explore this issue further. It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.