§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many unemployed recipients of jobseeker's allowance or income support have been sanctioned in each month since May 1992, aged(a) 18 to 24 and (b) 25 and over. [112752]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 2 March 2000]: Sanctions were introduced in October 1996 with Jobseeker's Allowance, so sanctions information is only available from that time. Furthermore, statistics on the number and types of decisions given by Employment Service Officers on labour market questions are recorded on a quarterly rather than monthly basis, and they are not broken down into age groups.
The total numbers of sanctions imposed on claims to Jobseeker's Allowance in each quarter since the introduction of sanctions in October 1996 are:
Quarter ending Sanctions imposed 31 December 1996 21,827 31 March 1997 46,192 30 June 1997 52,738 30 September 1997 53,686 31 December 1997 49,960 31 March 1998 47,105 30 June 1998 37,802 30 September 1998 39,020 31 December 1998 40,107 31 March 1999 44,000 30 June 1999 41,556 30 September 1999 38,346 Statistics on the numbers of sanctions and other decisions given by Employment Service Officers are published in a quarterly summary, the "Analysis of Sector Decision Making" (formerly known as the "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions"), copies of which are held in the Library. The latest quarter for which statistics have been published is the quarter ending 30 September 1999.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many unemployed recipients of jobseeker's allowance or income support have been sanctioned in each of the last five financial years, aged(a) 18 to 24 and (b) over 24. [112753]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 2 March 2000]: I must firstly explain that sanctions were introduced in October 1996 with Jobseeker's Allowance, so sanctions information is only available from that time. Furthermore, statistics on the number and types of decisions given by Employment Service Officers on labour market questions are not broken down into age groups.
850WThe total numbers of sanctions imposed on claims to Jobseeker's Allowance in each operational year since the introduction of sanctions in October 1996 are:
Year ending Sanctions imposed 31 March 1997 68,019 31 March 1998 203,489 31 March 1999 160,929 Statistics on the numbers of sanctions and other decisions given by Employment Service Officers are published in a quarterly summary, the "Analysis of Sector Decision Making" (formerly known as the "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions"), copies of which are held in the Library. The latest quarter for which statistics have been published is the quarter ending 30 September 1999.