Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Whilst the economy is in the midst of recovering from the covid-19 pandemic, and with...
Recommendation
Whilst the economy is in the midst of recovering from the covid-19 pandemic, and with the jobs market in great difficulty and 490,000 people (as of March 2021) in Scotland claiming Universal Credit, based on the overwhelming evidence from witnesses, now is not the right time to sanction claimants should they fail to meet their claimant commitment. We recommend pausing sanctioning of claimants for at least the rest of 2021 with immediate effect. However, we welcome the assurances from the DWP that the claimant commitment will take into account local and national public health guidelines. We recommend that the DWP continue this position until all restrictions ease across the entire UK. (Paragraph 129) Welfare policy in Scotland 7 Universal Credit Scottish Choices
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 19 November 2021. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document ↗