On Thursday, 12 March 2026, the Public Accounts Committee held a hearing with senior members of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and those who oversee the Access to Work (AtW) programme. There was a private meeting that was not available to the public at 9:30 AM. The public portion of the hearing was at 10:00 AM.

The senior DWP/AtW Officials who were questioned included:

• Sir Peter Schofield KCB: Permanent Secretary at Department of Work and Pensions
• Neil Couling CB CBE: Director General at DWP Services and Fraud
• Helga Swindenbank: Director of Accessibility and Disputes at Department of Work and Pensions
• Bill Thorpe: Director for Disability and Health Support at Department for Work and Pensions

We have created a visual guide of what to expect at the event, which you can download below.

Following the hearing, we have written an initial response with some key takeaways.

The committee acknowledged the vast number of submissions of evidence and thanked the wider Disability community for their contributions to the inquiry.

The hearing lasted for two hours, and we will provide a transcript and alternate formats in the coming days. Some of the language that was used was ableist and based within the medical model and not the social model.

The committee will publish its recommendations based on the hearing and the evidence that was given.

Our key takeaways were:

• There was an acknowledgment of the backlog and the impact on applicants.
• They claimed that the payment backlog had been cleared, as this was a priority. We would like to know if you have a different experience and are still awaiting repayment.
• There are discrepancies between policy and practice; it is evident that cuts to people’s awards at the renewal stage are due to DWP error in the first instance.
• There is a clear lack of understanding of the nuances of Disability and the experiences of those applying to Access to Work.
• There was an emphasis that employers need to be doing more to support their Disabled employees, as stated in the five principles of Access to Work.
• The committee did not elaborate on the experiences of self-employed or freelance workers and their extended delays.

There was a clear and strong acknowledgment that Access to Work is a beneficial and necessary resource.

This month, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report on the Access to Work Scheme, run by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)

The investigation was to provide transparency over the DWP’s operation of Access to Work (ATW)  and inform public debate about the future of the scheme.

The report covers:

• The purpose of the Access to Work scheme
• The take-up of the scheme
• How the DWP is managing the increased take-up of the scheme

The findings of the report highlight some of our concerns about how the DWP is operating the ATW scheme and how it needs urgent investment and reform.  The findings will feed into Graeae’s submission to the Public Accounts Inquiry about our hopes for the future of the scheme.

You can read the report here.

You can download a visual guide of the report below.

When it works, Access to Work is a vital lifeline for Disabled professionals in the workplace. It levels the playing field in a way no other scheme can.

It is currently not working as it should, in part due to major changes to the scheme.

Changes and Updates to Access to Work

• The current wait time for individuals employed by a business or an organisation is 37.5 weeks, or about 9 months.
• The current wait time for freelancers or self-employed individuals is 67.5 weeks, or nearly 16 months.
• If you are currently receiving an award, you must have a OneGov account to submit your claim. This means you may need to upload additional identification documents.
• There is no longer a formal complaints email address. All complaints have to be made by telephone or by using a RELAY service to call their general contact line.

We know many members of our community are concerned about these changes and are worried about the impact on their Access to Work. At Graeae, we are also concerned and want to help support our wider community as much as possible.

What are the solutions?

We want to reiterate that we are passionate that Access to Work is a vital scheme for our community, but changes must be made to make it functional.

We believe these issues can and must be solved, so we are calling for:

• Transparent communication: Many Access to Work service users have reported having their award cut without prior notification and explanation. There must be more consultation around the nuance of Deafness, Disability, neurodivergence, Learning Disabilities, and chronic illness.
• Better investment in the scheme: There is currently a cap on the amount of funds an individual can receive, which leads to people having to turn down work and projects. These projects directly inject money into the economy and allow recipients to continue to grow their own careers.
• Wait times down to 12 weeks: The current waiting times mean people are forced to turn down work as they cannot self-fund for the access tools that are required to do their job.
• Significantly improve the experience for self-employed and freelance workers: Currently, the wait times are too long for self-employed workers, who do not have the infrastructure of an organisation or corporation to support or subsidise their access requirements.
• Accessible complaints process: Access to Work recently removed the option to complain via email. Instead, users must call in to make a complaint or use a RELAY service to call on their behalf. Phone calls are inaccessible to many people, this also means there is no paper trail when a complaint is made over the phone.