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<p>The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of imposing sanctions on
disabled Universal Credit claimants. In our response to the Work and Pensions Select
Committee Report on Benefit Sanctions (Nineteenth Report of Session 2017-19), the
Department committed to evaluating the effectiveness of reforms to welfare conditionality
and sanctions. The Department will focus its evaluation on whether the sanctions regime
within Universal Credit is effective at supporting claimants to search for work.</p><p>
</p><p>Sanctions are only used in a small percentage of cases, and that is when people
fail to meet their agreed commitments without good reason. Latest data, published
on 19 February 2019 in the Benefit Sanction Statistics, shows that in November 2018,
2.8% of people subject to conditionality on Universal Credit had a deduction taken
from their benefit award as a result of a sanction.</p><p> </p><p>When considering
whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual
circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of
good cause, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.</p>
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