Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a time limit within which a sanction must be applied under universal credit after a claimant has failed to comply with a condition of their claim.

Legislation does not specify a time limit within which a sanction should be considered; however, administrative law principles require decisions to be made and applied within a reasonable period of time. The time taken to make the decision will depend on the volume and complexity of cases. The Department aims to make sanctions decisions as soon as possible in cases where claimants may not have complied with a condition of their claim.