Universal Credit: Disqualification

(asked on 5th February 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claims were closed because a claimant failed to accept a claimant commitment that included (a) no work-related, (b) only work preparation and (c) work-focused interview requirements in 2020.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 14th February 2024

In 2023, 21,000 claimants with a claimant commitment with 'No work-related requirements', 2,400 with 'Work preparation' requirements, and 1,200 with 'Work-focussed interview' requirements were part of a UC claim that closed because a claimant commitment was not accepted.

In 2022, 25,000 claimants with a claimant commitment with 'No work-related requirements', 2,600 with 'Work preparation' requirements, and 1,500 with 'Work-focussed interview' requirements were part of a UC claim that closed because a claimant commitment was not accepted.

In 2021, 17,000 claimants with a claimant commitment with 'No work-related requirements', 1,200 with 'Work preparation' requirements, and 1,400 with 'Work-focussed interview' requirements were part of a UC claim that closed because a claimant commitment was not accepted.

In 2020, 12,000 claimants with a claimant commitment with 'No work-related requirements', 730 with 'Work preparation' requirements, and 810 with 'Work-focussed interview' requirements were part of a UC claim that closed because a claimant commitment was not accepted.

Note: for couple claims, both claimants must accept their claimant commitment, or the claim will close due to a claimant commitment not being accepted. This means that for some claimants with each work group requirement above, they accepted their claimant commitment, but the other claimant did not.

Legislation sets out the types of requirements that can be applied to claimants depending on the labour market regime/legal conditionality group that applies to them. The requirements any claimant is asked to meet will be clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment.

All claimants regardless of their conditionality group, including those in the ‘No Work-Related Requirements’ regime, must accept a Claimant Commitment as a condition of entitlement. Claimants must accept the commitment within 7 days and failure to do this will result in claim termination.

In exceptional circumstances where a claimant is unable to accept a Claimant Commitment we can remove the requirement to do so. This may include, for example, claimants who have an appointee or someone acting on their behalf, claimants who are incapacitated in hospital and exceptional emergency situations.

Claimants who are in the ‘No Work-Related Requirements’ group are not subject to conditionality. This group includes claimants who are too sick to work, over State Pension Age, have defined caring responsibilities or are earning over their conditionality earnings threshold.

Reticulating Splines