Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the (a) purpose, (b) merits and (c) economic and health effects of sanctioning social security claimants in receipt of an out-of-work benefit.
The Department has no plans at present to carry out a review of conditionality and sanctions policies for legacy benefits which will be phased out.
Sanctions are only used in a small percentage of cases, and that is when people fail to meet their agreed commitments without good reason. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.