Jobseeker's allowance sanctions and disallowances

This article describes the large rise since 2005 in the number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants being subjected to 'sanctions' or 'disallowances' and consequently losing their benefits, to a total of 792,000 such penalties in the year to 21 October 2012. It examines the reasons given for the penalties, showing that disqualifications for leaving a job voluntarily or losing it through misconduct have fallen dramatically in the current recession, with more aggressive types of penalty rising correspondingly more. It describes the regime of 'hardship payments' available to some sanctioned claimants. Finally it estimates that the amount of money lost by claimants, net of hardship payments, has risen from about £37m in 2005 to about £140m in the year to October 2012, and that it would have been about £250m in the latter year had the new regime of lengthier sanctions started on 22 October 2012 been in force