Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what evidence her Department bases its claim that universal credit sanctions support claimants into work.

Evidence from international studies is clear that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work, and that sanctions are a key part of conditionality. Transitions into work typically increase following a sanction.

The Department has committed to doing an evaluation of the effectiveness of Universal Credit sanctions at supporting claimants to search for work in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on benefit sanctions. This Department will look to publish this in 2019.