Public and Commercial Services Union
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Ministers' new sanctions regime criticised by MPs
The union, which represents around 80,000 workers in the Department for Work and Pensions, says the report supports many of the criticisms it has about this government's new sanctions regime.
The report points out that in focusing solely on how many people stop claiming benefits, the department risks unfairly applying sanctions to encourage claimants to sign off. Senior managers admit they do not know what happens to 40% of people who stop claiming.
The committee also reports that, while the number of enquiries to Citizens Advice from jobseeker's allowance claimants has reduced, enquiries about sanctions rose by 45% in the three months to December 2012 compared with the previous year.
It adds that these enquiries were overwhelmingly from vulnerable groups, including people with learning disabilities or mild mental health problems.
The report also says senior officials told the committee that finding work for people "was not the only objective of the jobseeker's allowance regime and its purpose was also to cut the benefits bill by reducing the number of people who are dependent on benefits".
