The action to stop or reduce a person's Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is taken against those deemed by jobcentres not to be meeting the conditions for receiving the payout, such as attending adviser interviews or being available for work.
The system has been at the centre of controversy amid claims that jobcentre staff have been set targets to sanction benefits in a move to bring down unemployment figures.
This is rejected by the Government which argues sanctions are only used as a last resort when claimants "refuse to play by the rules".
Latest figures published in Parliament show 350 benefit sanctions were issued in Plymouth Moor View up to the end of last May, 660 in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, 110 in South West Devon and 260 in South East Cornwall.
Latest full year figures for 2011 also showed the overall number of sanctions had increased markedly since 2009.
In Plymouth Moor View it was 860 compared to 480 two years earlier, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport 1,550 (760), South West Devon 270 (160) and South East Cornwall 610 (340).
Last October, the government introduced a tougher penalty regime. Until then claimants could have their JSA sanctioned for up to 26 weeks, but under the new system their payment could be stopped for up to three years, depending on the breach of conditions and how many times it had happened before.
A DWP spokesman said: "When people claim Jobseeker's Allowance they agree to a contract – we offer them the support they need to find work but they agree to do everything possible to prepare for and find work.
"Sanctions are used as a last resort when claimants refuse to play by the rules. People cannot expect to keep their benefits if they do not hold up their end of the bargain."
Source; This is Plymouth
The system has been at the centre of controversy amid claims that jobcentre staff have been set targets to sanction benefits in a move to bring down unemployment figures.
This is rejected by the Government which argues sanctions are only used as a last resort when claimants "refuse to play by the rules".
Latest figures published in Parliament show 350 benefit sanctions were issued in Plymouth Moor View up to the end of last May, 660 in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, 110 in South West Devon and 260 in South East Cornwall.
Latest full year figures for 2011 also showed the overall number of sanctions had increased markedly since 2009.
In Plymouth Moor View it was 860 compared to 480 two years earlier, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport 1,550 (760), South West Devon 270 (160) and South East Cornwall 610 (340).
Last October, the government introduced a tougher penalty regime. Until then claimants could have their JSA sanctioned for up to 26 weeks, but under the new system their payment could be stopped for up to three years, depending on the breach of conditions and how many times it had happened before.
A DWP spokesman said: "When people claim Jobseeker's Allowance they agree to a contract – we offer them the support they need to find work but they agree to do everything possible to prepare for and find work.
"Sanctions are used as a last resort when claimants refuse to play by the rules. People cannot expect to keep their benefits if they do not hold up their end of the bargain."
Source; This is Plymouth
