Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of the report entitled The Impact of Benefit Sanctions on Employment Outcomes: draft report, published by his Department on 6 April 2023, on the impact of benefit sanctions on helping people into work, if he will take steps to end the use of (a) conditional welfare arrangements for disabled people and (b) benefit sanctions to encourage disabled people into work.

The requirements placed on a claimant within their Claimant Commitment are tailored to take into account an individual’s circumstances and capability and are designed to give claimants the best possible prospects of achieving their goal.

We have no plans to end the use of conditional welfare arrangements or sanctions for disabled people where it is appropriate.

Conditionality is personalised and tailored to produce the best outcome for each individual and sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Significant numbers of disabled people are already not subject to conditionality requirements, including claimants in the No Work Related Requirements Group.