Welfare Reform Bill

In moving the amendment, I am well aware that the Minister has said in terms that the first sanction for jobseeker’s allowance will be a warning letter. However, I have not withdrawn the amendment because it should be in the Bill. In the chapter of his report entitled "The Role of Sanctions", Professor Gregg recommended the introduction of a system of staged sanctions for claimants who had received a written warning for the first instance of non-compliance of attending a mandatory interview or appointment. This would spell out exactly why the claimant had been sanctioned and what the financial consequences would be for further non-compliance. Under the Bill, financial sanctions could be applied immediately, without a clear written warning, after the first non-compliance. The amendment was suggested by Citizens Advice, which regularly sees clients whose benefits have been sanctioned but who do not understand why—which of course makes the sanction less effective in changing future behaviour. As I said earlier, the Minister said that a written warning is sent, presumably when an interview or other appointment is missed, and that this warning letter constitutes the first sanction. If this is the case, why is it not enshrined in legislation to protect the vulnerable from being financially penalised for the first offence, which they may not have correctly understood? I beg to move.