Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a grace period for (a) vulnerable and (b) homeless claimants of (i) jobseekers allowance and (ii) employment support allowance during which the requirements placed on them are eased at times of transition or acute difficulty.

There are already a range of circumstances where work-related requirements should be switched off temporarily because people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are experiencing difficult personal circumstances. This includes claimants experiencing a domestic emergency and claimant who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

For people claiming JSA with a physical or mental impairment (including those with cognitive or learning difficulties), work coaches may agree to tailor the number of hours, type or location of work depending on the claimants’ impairment. In addition, work search and availability requirements should be switched off to account for a period of sickness. Outside of these set periods, work coaches have the discretion to tailor requirements depending on what is reasonable based on the claimant’s health condition.

People claiming ESA who are required to attend interviews or undertake work preparation activities should have requirements tailored to meet their individual needs, this would include deferring their interviews if appropriate and limiting the voluntary work preparation activity to fit their current capability.