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A report by the Work and Pensions Committee has found-

'Sanctions- Evidence suggests that JCP staff have referred many claimants for a sanction inappropriately or in circumstances in which common sense would dictate that discretion should have been applied. A limited independent review of sanctioning has been established by DWP. The Committee recommends that there should be a separate, broader independent review of the operation of beneft conditionality and sanctioning to ensure that the rules are being applied fairly and appropriately. This review should also investigate whether, and to what extent, sanctioning is having the desired effect of encouraging claimants to engage more actively in job-seeking.

Some witnesses were concerned that fnancial hardship caused by sanctioning was a signifcant factor in a recent rise in referrals to food aid.'

Dame Anne Begg MP said: “Increasingly strict conditionality must be accompanied by more in-depth and effective advice and support for people struggling to fnd work, particularly those facing real barriers to employment, including health conditions and disabilities.”

The Committee recommends-

'that JCP’s key performance indicators be immediately revised to ensure that JCP is incentivised to get jobseekers into work, not just to get them off benefts. And

In the longer term, as Universal Credit is implemented, DWP must formulate performance measures which promote sustained job outcomes.'

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