HL Deb 30 June 2003 vol 650 cc62-3WA
Earl Russell

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What evidence they have on whether the imposition of benefit sanctions has had any adverse effect on the ability to meet the costs of actively seeking work; and [HL3286]

Whether those who have been subjected to previous benefits sanctions have been more or less successful in finding employment than those on means-tested benefits as a whole. [HL3287]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham

Research that we have conducted into the effects of the imposition of sanctions found that overall sanctions do not have a detrimental effect on jobsearch activity. Although success in obtaining work was not covered by the research, it was found that in many cases receiving a sanction resulted in increased effort in actively seeking work.

A copy of the report Saunders, T, Stone, V & Candy S (2001): The Impact of the 26 week Sanctioning Regime. Employment Service Report ESR 100 which deals with the effects of the sanctioning regime has been placed in the Library.