Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what set of circumstances a person would receive a sanction equal to the financial support they receive from universal credit.

Imposing a sanction is not something we do lightly. Claimants are given every opportunity to explain why they failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirements, before a decision is made.

A sanction reduces a claimant’s Universal Credit award by an amount never more than their standard allowance element entitlement.

A claimant with a health condition or disability, who makes a claim for Universal Credit on or after 3 April 2017, and who is found to have limited capability for work following a WCA, will not be eligible for the limited capability for work element of Universal Credit.