20 February 2008 – Purnell: new sanctions regime for those who try and play the system
A review into the way benefit claimants are sanctioned will pave the way for a more flexible, graduated system which gives advisers more ability to impose sanctions on those claimants who break the rules, Secretary of state for work and pensions James Purnell announced today.
Speaking at the Social Market Foundation (SMF) James Purnell said:
“When I was speaking to Job Centre Plus staff, they said that felt that the sanctions regime could be improved. They didn’t want to be double-guessed by doctors about the fitness of claimants for work. They wanted to have a system of graduated sanctions and they wanted greater freedom to use the sanctions that currently exist.
“I’ve asked Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, to lead a review which will include the sanctions applied to customers playing the system and how we might best use advisors’ discretion in tailoring services to meet the needs of citizens.
“These new sanctions will tackle those people who can work and choose not to. For those who genuinely cannot work I want to look at the principle of individual budgets to see how we can give them more control over their lives.
“I want us to ask whether we are doing enough for disabled people. As we get more people in to work, we will release resources. Where do we need to improve the support, so as to give them control over their lives? Over the next few weeks, I will sit down with disabled people and address these questions before putting forward policy proposals.”
James Purnell also set out how welfare reform must tackle poverty, in particular reaffirming the Government’s commitment to abolishing child poverty by 2020.
James Purnell said:
“Poverty shrinks capability. It impairs life chances. Poverty makes life riskier than it needs to be, less pleasant than it needs to be, less fulfilling than it could be. I want to be categorical about child poverty: it will not be quietly abandoned.
“Achieving our goals will not be easy. But I am determined that we will continue to tackle child poverty, and to see how savings from my department can contribute to meeting it. If we can reduce spending on the costs of worklessness, to invest in the future of our children, we will hit two targets with one policy.”
Since 1997 the amount of people on the main unemployment benefit, Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA), has been halved and record numbers are in work. However James Purnell set out the importance of dealing with those pockets of worklessness that still exist, announcing plans for the long term unemployed to undertake work related activity.
James Purnell said:
“To help tackle worklessness I am announcing today that everyone who is long term unemployed and claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance will be expected to undertake work related activity in return for their benefit.
“We are streamlining the various New Deals into a single, flexible New Deal. We will make clear that we expect all jobseekers who join this programme to do at least four weeks of full time work or work-related activity unless they find work within 12 months. This will be a minimum: we will be looking for bidders who extend this principle to those claimants who will benefit.
Notes to Editors
- James Purnell was speaking today at the Social Market Foundation in London.
- In his speech James Purnell announced:
- A review of the sanctions regime to give advisors more flexibility when dealing with customers
- A reaffirmation of the commitment to abolish child poverty by 2020
- A period of work related activity for the long term unemployment undertaking the Flexible New Deal
- A cross-Whitehall unit to take a more detailed look at the impact of EEA migration on the welfare system and to come up with proposals which will strengthen the "something for something" culture.
- We will look at how we improve support for disabled people
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