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<p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear,
the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and
we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the
right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation
under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We
are doing all we can to keep our Jobcentres and service centres operational, but as
of 24th March, Jobcentres are only offering face-to-face appointments – conducted
in accordance with PHE guidelines on social distancing - for the small number of claimants
who would otherwise not be able to receive support. This helps us to continue to deliver
our critical services whilst keeping our customers and staff safe.</ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial">From 17th March, we suspended all face-to-face assessments for
health and disability benefits. For existing claimants, we have automatically extended
awards and suspended any new review or reassessment activity, except where claimants
notify us of changes to their needs that may result in an increase to their award.
This temporary measure is being taken to ensure the Department’s resources are focused
on providing access to financial support for new claimants, and it will also reassure
claimants about continuity of their benefit during the coronavirus outbreak.</ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial">We have also taken the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement
for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit,
Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Income Support.
This means that claimants are not expected to contact their Jobcentre Plus while this
temporary suspension is in place. They will continue to receive benefits as normal
and they will not be sanctioned for not taking part in interviews with Jobcentres.</ins></p>
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