Recommendation 124

Some of our contributors discussed the use of sanctions on claimants who fail to maintain their claimant commitment. A claimant commitment is an agreement between a claimant and the DWP. It is a record of the responsibilities (to prepare for and look for work) that a person accepts in return for receiving Universal Credit, and the consequences of not meeting those responsibilities.311 Should a claimant not maintain their claimant commitment then they can be sanctioned meaning that they would receive a reduction in their benefit.312 This has become known as conditionality as a claimant has to meet certain conditions to receive their Universal Credit payment.