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Pensions Secretary admits there have been benefits cases 'where we got it wrong' | Pensions Secretary admits there have been benefits cases 'where we got it wrong' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Pensions Secretary David Gauke has admitted there have been cases dealt with under the Government’s benefits sanctions regime “where we got it wrong”. | Pensions Secretary David Gauke has admitted there have been cases dealt with under the Government’s benefits sanctions regime “where we got it wrong”. |
Mr Gauke was challenged about the impact of sanctions on Sunday, which cover universal credit, employment and support allowance (ESA), jobseeker's allowance (JSA) and income support. | |
Critics blame the sanctions regime for forcing some of the poorest in society into debt and risk of homelessness. | |
But the Cabinet minister argued that overall the regime does help usher welfare claimants back into work. | |
Speaking on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, Mr Gauke tackled criticism of sanctions head on, saying: “One of the reasons why I think we have got higher levels of employment is because we place conditions on people; that changes behaviour and that helps people get into work. | Speaking on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, Mr Gauke tackled criticism of sanctions head on, saying: “One of the reasons why I think we have got higher levels of employment is because we place conditions on people; that changes behaviour and that helps people get into work. |
“That’s not to say that there aren’t hard cases, cases where we get it wrong – we want to work very hard to eliminate that. | “That’s not to say that there aren’t hard cases, cases where we get it wrong – we want to work very hard to eliminate that. |
“But I would defend the principle of saying – if we are going to give money to people, to actually lift people out of poverty on a sustainable basis – it’s not just about giving them money, it’s also about saying, ‘What can we do and what can you do to get you into work?’.” | “But I would defend the principle of saying – if we are going to give money to people, to actually lift people out of poverty on a sustainable basis – it’s not just about giving them money, it’s also about saying, ‘What can we do and what can you do to get you into work?’.” |
Sanctions involve the reduction or suspension of payments because a claimant has not met conditions for receiving the benefit, such as attending jobcentre appointments. | Sanctions involve the reduction or suspension of payments because a claimant has not met conditions for receiving the benefit, such as attending jobcentre appointments. |
Experts from bodies representing psychologists, psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and counsellors have previously warned that sanctions system could damage the mental health of claimants. | Experts from bodies representing psychologists, psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and counsellors have previously warned that sanctions system could damage the mental health of claimants. |
But Mr Gauke said: “On the subject of mental health – and this is a sensitive point, and I’m not going to pretend that we have always got this right in every individual case. | But Mr Gauke said: “On the subject of mental health – and this is a sensitive point, and I’m not going to pretend that we have always got this right in every individual case. |
“But we do know that getting people into work, giving people the benefit of working, the structure that provides, the self-esteem that that provides, work can really help mental health as well, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise.” | “But we do know that getting people into work, giving people the benefit of working, the structure that provides, the self-esteem that that provides, work can really help mental health as well, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise.” |
He added: “The task for us is to ensure that we have an increasingly personalised welfare state, a system that properly understands the circumstances individuals are in.” | He added: “The task for us is to ensure that we have an increasingly personalised welfare state, a system that properly understands the circumstances individuals are in.” |