Benefit Sanctions

House of Lords written question – answered at on 8 May 2002.

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Photo of Earl Russell Earl Russell Liberal Democrat

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people are now subject to sanctions on means-tested benefits; and what percentage of (a) the adult population and (b) the total population this figure represents.

Photo of Baroness Hollis of Heigham Baroness Hollis of Heigham Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Benefit sanctions are not confined to income-related benefits.

At 8 November 2001, 6,600 income-based jobseeker's allowance recipients were subject to a sanction. This represents 0.014 per cent of the adult population and 0.011 per cent of the total population of Great Britain, based on the Office for National Statistics population estimates for mid-2000.

Between 15 October 2001 and 15 March 2002, community sentence sanctions were applied in 39 cases, and between 30 April 2001 and 29 March 2002, 1,531 lone parents were sanctioned for failing to attend a compulsory personal adviser interview without good cause. These are cumulative figures and a statistically valid comparison with the estimated population at a given point in time cannot therefore be made. bern

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