Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Do you have or do you intend to create advice or guidance for decision makers on applying sanctions to JSA or UC in connection to jobsites like dwp find-a-job, just like you did for Universal Jobmatch?

Yours faithfully,

Ian Wolf

U ni v e r s al J o b m at c h
3 4 7 3 8 Chapter 34 - JSA Sanctions
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...

Freedom of Information request
2015 -3687
Date received 01 September 2015
Date of response 23 February
2016
Information request
How many Universal Jobmatch benefit sanctions have been applied
since it went live?
For these stats please say how many benefit claimants referred for a
sanction, how many got an adverse decision and the number of
favourable decisions?
DWP response
Please note that the intention of sanctions is to encourage people to engage
with the support being offered by Jobcentres by making it clearer to claimants
what they are expected to do in return for their benefits. Sanctions are a
necessary part of the benefits system. The overwhelming majority of benefit
claimants take up the jobs support we offer, with a small minority facing a
sanction for not doing so.
In response to your question, information on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
claimants sanctioned for
“Refusal or failure to comply with a Jobseeker's
Direction without good reason (Universal Jobmatch)” from June 2013
to June
2015 can be found in the table below.
Please note that information for this sanction reason is only available from
June 2013.
JSA Sanction Decisions – number of individuals with referral reason of
“Refusal or failure to comply with a Jobseeker’s Direction without good
reason (Universal Jobmatch)”:
J
une 2013 – June 2015
Number of JSA individuals with a sanction referral
3,520
Of those;
Number of JSA individuals
with an adverse decision
2,103
Number of JSA individuals
with a non
-
adverse decision
589
Source:
DWP: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.
Notes:
1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied.
2. Information for this sanction reason is only available from June 2013
and the latest data available is up to 30 June 2015.
3. Whilst claiming JSA, a customer can have a Labour Market (LM) doubt
raised against their claim. LM doubts are normally identified by staff at
the Jobcentre Plus office and are referred to the Sector Decision
Makers (SDMs). Once the SDM has made a decision on whether to
sanction or disallow/allow a referral, they enter their decision on a
system called DMAS (Decision Making and Appeals System). The
decision is also sent back to the Jobcentre Plus office for entry to LMS
(Labour Market System) and JSAPS (JSA Payment System) which
then makes the appropriate changes to the actual payment to the
customer.
4. Adverse: An adverse decision is a decision to apply a sanction i.e. a
decision found against the claimant so a sanction is applied or the JSA
claim is closed (disallowance).
5. Non-adverse: A ‘non-adverse’ decision is when a case has been
considered and a decision was made not to apply a sanction.
6. Please note the table above does not include the following:
(a) Reserved Decision: a reserved decision is where a sanction would
be appropriate but cannot be imposed because the claimant does
not have a current claim to JSA. A case would be re-referred if the
claimant reclaims JSA within the period of the reserved decision.
(b) Cancelled Referral: A cancelled decision can occur in specific
circumstances as explained here
:
https://sw.stat-
xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/metadata/JSA_sanc_dec/Decision%20O
utcome.html

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...

Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,

For
FoI 3158 - Reply
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

What date did Decision Makers’ Guide
Chapter 34 for JSA claimants, in particular the guidance regarding DWP’s ‘Find a Job’
jobsite at DMG 34917 et seq, https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
& Advice for Decision Making guidance is in Chapter K5 for UC claimants. The guidance in
that chapter regarding DWP’s ‘Find a Job’ jobsite is at ADM K5171 et seq.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
get created for DM use?

Why do DMG and ADM not have creation or publication dates on them?

How does your guidance include the Alok Sharma answer he gave to Sir David Crausby question about "whether use of the new Find a Job website will be compulsory for claimants of (a) jobseekers allowance and (b) universal credit" which your Secretary of State said

NO

Vacancies: Internet:Written question - 144177
Q
Asked by Sir David Crausby
(Bolton North East)
Asked on: 15 May 2018
Department for Work and Pensions
Vacancies: Internet
144177
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether use of the new Find a Job website will be compulsory for claimants of (a) jobseekers allowance and (b) universal credit.
A
Answered by: Alok Sharma
Answered on: 22 May 2018

Use of the Find a job website is not compulsory for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC). JSA and UC claimants are asked to create an account and upload a Curriculum Vitae (CV) on Find a job or another jobsite when they make a new claim. If a claimant creates an account using a jobsite other than Find a job, it must be one that is deemed to be suitable by the Work Coach.
https://www.parliament.uk/business/publi...

Your sanctions guidance say nothing about "other" jobsites or that "Find a job website is not compulsory for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC)".

Yours sincerely,

Ian Wolf