Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people engaged in the sector-based work academy placements have had their benefit stopped as a result of not participating in each month since August 2011.

The available information as requested is shown in the table below.

Number of individuals with a Jobseeker’s Allowance sanction applied for failing to participate in Sector-Based Work Academy Placements, in each month: Great Britain, August 2011 to March 2014.

Source: DWP Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Notes:

1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data.

2. Information for this sanction reason is only available from August 2011 and the latest data available is up to 31 March 2014.

3. The table above shows the number of adverse sanction decisions made for the referral reason: Refusal or failure to comply with a sector-based work academy placement without good reason (SBWAP).

4. An adverse decision is a decision to apply a sanction i.e. a decision found against the claimant so a sanction is applied.

5. Sector based work academies are made up of three components: pre-employment training; a work experience placement; and a guaranteed job interview. Claimants voluntarily choose to participate. Once they start a placement, jobseekers are required to complete the pre-employment training and guaranteed job interview.

6. In Feb 2012 the DWP announced that Sanctions will no longer be applied to the benefits of those who do not start or who leave the work experience component of a sector based work academy.