Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Jobseeker's Allowance claimants are sanctioned if they do not accept a job offer because of low pay and conditions.

Employers should comply with employment law on pay and conditions. Claimants will have good reason for refusing employment if they do so because the national minimum wage applies to them and the employment does not pay at least the national minimum wage. In such a case a sanction would not be applied. Jobseeker's Allowance claimants are not required to apply for zero hours contract jobs and will not be sanctioned if they refuse an offer of a job on a zero hours contract.

If a claimant has doubts about the terms and conditions of employment (other than the level of pay) which they consider makes the employment unsuitable, they are encouraged to discuss this in advance with their Work Coach. 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 cause, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

Guidance for decision makers can be found in the Decision Makers Guide (DMG) and Advice for Decision Making Guide (ADM) available at Gov.uk. This guidance is supplemented from time to time with updates to reflect legal and procedural changes.