In the Spring Budget, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced harsher sanctions for those who fail to meet strict work search requirements or who fail to take an acceptable offer of work.

In the announcement, Hunt revealed that Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) work coaches will be provided with additional training to ‘apply sanctions effectively’ while automating some administrative elements of the sanctions process to reduce error rates and free up work coach’s time.

The chancellor also announced plans to aid people who are disabled or unwell to get back to work where possible. There are more than 2.5 million people reporting that they are inactive due to long-term sickness. To help remove the barriers to employment this group faces, the government is introducing a universal support programme in England and Wales to match people with disabilities and long-term sickness with jobs and provide support and training to help them succeed.

The universal support will be funded in England and Wales. The government will spend up to £4,000 per person to find them a suitable role and cater to their needs, supporting 50,000 places per year once fully rolled out.

The Spring Budget also introduces a suite of measures to address the leading causes of ill health related inactivity, including tailored employment support in mental health and musculoskeletal health services, and expanding access to digital resources and health checks.

The government is also providing additional support to help universal credit claimants find employment or increase their hours, by increasing work coach support and work search requirements, and strengthening support for claimants that are carers of children.

To support those claiming benefits who are long-term sick and disabled, the government is publishing a Health and Disability White Paper. This sets out reforms to make sure those with disabilities have the right support, opportunities, and incentives to move into and remain in work. The Work Capability Assessment will be abolished and eligibility for the health top-up in universal credit will be passported via the Personal Independence Payment benefit.

Claimants will benefit from tailored work coach support and be able to try work without fear of losing their benefits.