Equality analysis of ESA WRAG sanctions

I came across the DWPs equality impact analysis on the more stringent sanction regime for ESA WRAG claimants that they carried out in 2012 (attached).

I thought it would be interesting to replicate the analysis as closely as possible for current figures (as far as that is possible given the availability of DWP stats).

I used data for sanctions applied to ESA WRAG claimants during 2013/14 as I could access figures for the whole of that financial year.  I used caseload data for ESA WRAG claimants from February as that was the most up to date data I could get for that financial year.  As far as I can see this mirrors the DWP approach pretty closely though I’m sure that there may be some minor differences.

All the stats used are publicly available apart from sanctions applied broken down by health condition – I had to do an FOI for this, have attached it for interest.

The proportions of monitored groups making up WRAG and getting sanctioned are broadly similar to the analysis carried out by the DWP apart from for ESA WRAG claimants with mental and behavioural disorders.  In the DWPs original analysis people with these disorders made up 40% of the WRAG caseload and 44% of people sanctioned.  In the up to date analysis they make up 50% of the WRAG caseload and 60% of the people sanctioned.