Written question asked by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Monday, 21 July 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 September 2014 (named day). It was answered by Esther McVey (Conservative) on Monday, 1 September 2014 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he is making on reducing the number of incorrectly completed sanction referral forms submitted by Work Programme providers; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The vast majority of referrals are correct, however the Department is committed to driving best practice therefore in January 2014 the Department introduced a Provider Quality Assurance Framework to support providers in the completion of high quality and appropriate sanction referrals. To back this up in the autumn of 2014 the Department is starting a pilot in which Jobcentre Plus Labour Market Decision Makers will work directly with providers and provide on site coaching to help them eradicate inappropriate sanction referrals.

Secondary information