PMQS regarding DWP benefit sanctions

Take a look at @jeremycorbyn's Tweet: https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/793816630501474304?s=09

David Clapton, diabetic ex serviceman who died as a direct result of benefit sanctions was mentioned by Jeremy Corbyn at today's PMQS. He also mentions the Ken Loach film, I, Daniel Blake. Going to see the film tomorrow.

Squire Fulwood said:

That's appalling, I know that it takes DWP weeks to approve payments sometimes but there surely must be a way of stopping people from dying from it.

Click to expand...

Sanctions are when people who have been assessed and approved for benefits (and that is difficult enough to get) have their benefits stopped for perceived offences. Missing an appointment with the DWP will result in a sanction, even if the reason for the missed appointment was being hospitalised. Here are a few reasons I have read on the internet:

Your gran dies during the night. The next morning your partner calls the job centre and asks if you can come in the following day instead. The centre agrees, and you sign in the next day. Then you get a letter stating that you failed to sign in and would be sanctioned if you don’t reply within seven days. You reply, explaining the situation. The job centre gives you a six-week sanction for not replying.

Source: Mari-claire M at Netmums

You get a job interview. It’s at the same time as your job centre appointment, so you reschedule the job centre. You attend your rearranged appointment and then get a letter saying your benefits will be stopped because going to a job interview isn’t a good enough reason to miss an appointment.

Source: Daily Mail

You’ve signed in on time, been to interviews and applied for work. Your job centre advisor suggests you make a two-line change to your CV, which you do, but fail to give the updated CV to the job centre (you weren’t told you had to). You are sanctioned for four weeks.

Source: nciaw36 at MoneySavingExpert

You are forced to retire due to a heart condition, and you claim Employment and Support Allowance. During your assessment you have a heart attack. You are sanctioned for not completing your assessment.

Source: Debbie Abrahams MP