Last week we looked at the somewhat optimistic press portrayals of Incapacity Benefit claimants reassessed for the Employment Support Allowance.

Those placed in the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG), who receive benefit payments but are given assistance in finding work, were lumped in with those deemed fit to work immediately, creating some eye-catching, but inaccurate headlines.

On Friday we factchecked these reports, exploring some of the conditions people could have when classed in the WRAG, a point glossed over in all the reports we examined.

Today, we have more information challenging the accuracy of the reports.

The Sun's report suggested people in the WRAG group would be back to work “within a few weeks with help”.

The Department for Work and Pensions have now provided us with the following figures for the length of time people spend in the WRAG.



They show that 43,470 people were in the WRAG for between six months to a year, and a further 50,380 were in this group for between one and two years.

This compares to 14,460 who were in the group for three to 6 months and just 960 people in for up to three months.

Of course, these figures do not include the people who came into the WRAG and then subsequently moved into work, within weeks or otherwise.

But other figures from DWP show that since the ESA system was introduced, 157,600 people were assessed as being eligible for the WRAG – so the fact that over 90,000 people have been in the group for more than six months challenges the notion that the Work-Related Activity Group is a completely transient group of people there for a matter of weeks as suggested by The Sun.

Other reports did not make the same error The Sun did, but took no account of how long people could potentially stay in the WRAG.

The Express repeated the DWP press release definition of the the WRAG as people able to “start the journey back” to work.

They neglected so say just how long this journey could end up being.