Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average period is between a sanction referral being made by a Work Programme provider and a sanction being applied to the jobseeker.

The time taken for a sanction decision to be made following receipt from a work programme provider can vary depending upon the type of referral and the need to obtain further information from the claimant. We do not measure the time taken to clear these referrals therefore the information requested is not available.