Universal Credit: Disqualification

(asked on 26th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make a comparative assessment of the level of sanctions imposed on claimants of universal credit and claimants of other benefits; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Alok Sharma Portrait
Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 29th March 2018

There are differences between sanctions policy in Universal Credit and other benefits. It is for this reason that a comparative assessment cannot be made.

For instance, a Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant would have their claim closed if they fail to attend a Work Coach meeting and do not make contact within 5 days. This does not register as a sanction.

Under Universal Credit, these same claimants would be referred for a sanction, but to ensure that they continue to receive other elements that they are entitled to, which might cover payment for children and housing costs, their claims are not closed. Accordingly, the numbers of sanctions will appear higher in Universal Credit, as actions which would have previously resulted in a closed claim now appear as a sanction against part of the individual’s allowance.

This does not reflect a tougher approach on sanctions, rather that Universal Credit is designed to provide continuous support to our claimants and, unlike other benefits, to ensure that all payment is not stopped while we investigate the reasons for the loss of contact with the claimant, and work to re-establish our relationship with them.

Reticulating Splines