Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentres on the reintroduction of benefit sanctions on universal credit claimants as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

We are issuing guidance to support our re-implementation of Claimant Commitments in July. We are managing this in a phased approach to deliver a tailored and effective service for our customers, recognising the individual and prevailing circumstances including COVID restrictions. We have not needed to issue new guidance on benefit sanctions. We trust and empower our job centre managers and work coaches to work with their customers appropriately.