Jobseeker's Allowance

(asked on 2nd December 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 25 March 2013 to Question 149822 and pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2014 to Question 215974, how much additional jobseeker's allowance in total claimants subject to a fixed sanction would have received if they had continued to be on the benefit for the length of time of their sanction in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.


Answered by
Esther McVey Portrait
Esther McVey
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 5th December 2014

The Department doesn’t make an estimate the amount of benefit that would have been withheld as a result of benefit sanctions. Sanctions are designed to ensure claimants comply with their requirements in order to move off benefits and into work.

The answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 986W, on social security benefits made clear, it is not possible to robustly estimate the actual amounts withheld as we do not know what would have happened in the absence of sanctions. For example, of claimants who leave benefit during a sanction - some may have left irrespective of the sanction being applied, and some may have left because of the sanction.

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