Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the level of reported sanctions is higher in universal credit areas than in areas which provide on existing benefits.

There are differences between sanctions policy in Universal Credit and other benefits. It is for this reason that the sanction rate in Universal Credit cannot be compared with the sanction rate in, for example, JSA.

For instance, under JSA if a claimant fails to attend a Work Coach meeting, after 5 days without making contact they would have their claim closed.

Under Universal Credit, if a claimant fails to attend a meeting with their Work Coach, their case is referred to a Decision Maker and they may be sanctioned if they are unable to provide good reason for not meeting the terms of their Claimant Commitment. However their claim remains open, as a claimant may have additional elements to their claim that they rely on, such as those for housing or children. If they are sanctioned, an amount equal to their standard allowance is reduced, but they continue to receive an award for any other elements they might be entitled to, subject to earnings and other deductions. Accordingly, the number of sanctions are higher in Universal Credit.

The policy intent behind this difference is not to sanction more people but to ensure that all payment is not terminated, and that other elements continue to be paid while we investigate the reason for the loss of contact with the claimant.