Between March 2015 and February 2016, 154,309 people waited more than 10 days and 44,104 more than 16 days for a Jobseeker's Allowance claim to be processed, according to figures released by the UK Government.
Officials also admitted they did not know how many new claimants of Universal Credit were having to wait longer than the normal processing time of one month.
Delays in accessing benefits are one of the most common reasons given for using a food bank, according to the Trussell Trust.
