Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 117880, on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding on page 73 of her Department's in-work progression randomised control trial that ran between April 2015 and March 2018 that sanctions did not appear to have a positive impact on motivation to progress and that they could damage the relationship between the Work Coach and participant.

A positive working relationship between a Work Coach and a claimant is crucial but the same section also shows how sanctions are an effective tool at driving compliance.

Building on the evidence from the randomised control trial to support in-work progression, we are extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs.

This will be provided by Work Coaches and focus on career progression advice, such as considering skills gaps, identifying training needs, or looking for opportunities for the claimant to progress in their current role or in a new role.

The support will be offered to working UC claimants on a voluntary basis initially. However, we will review this in the future to ensure everyone who could benefit from this support engages with it.

Our evaluation of the new voluntary in-work progression offer will inform our future approach to helping UC claimants to progress.