Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the imposition of benefit sanctions on levels of demand for other public services.

No recent assessment has been made on the impact of benefit sanctions on levels of demand for other public services.

Claimants are only ever sanctioned if they fail to meet their agreed requirements without good reason. Claimants are given every opportunity to explain why they failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirement before a decision is made.

We have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.

If a claimant disagrees with a decision, they can ask for the decision to be reconsidered and subsequently can appeal against the decision to an independent tribunal.