Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policies on strengthening the application of Universal Credit sanctions announced in the Autumn Statement 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the health and well-being of people who become ineligible for free prescriptions as a result of having their Universal Credit payments stopped due to a sanction.

No assessment is required as there is no change to free prescriptions eligibility as a result of the sanctions measures announced at Autumn Statement 2023.

The Autumn Statement 2023 claim closure measures will only impact customers who are entitled to the UC Standard Allowance and where they do not re-engage for a continuous period of six months or more following an open-ended sanction decision.

Entitlement to free prescriptions is based on receipt of a monetary award of UC, sanctioned customers in receipt of the UC Standard Allowance only will lose their entitlement to help with health costs at the point that the sanction decision is applied. Therefore, closure of their claim after 6-month will not change this position.

This measure will not be applied where the customer receives additional amounts of Universal Credit for childcare, housing, or a disability, or where they have a new, or pre-existing vulnerability which impacts on their ability to look for, or to take up work.