Live Urgent Question - Jobcentre Plus Offices House of Commons


Live Urgent Question - Jobcentre Plus Offices

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support in order to improve the care they are giving. Thank you. Order,

:00:00.:00:11.

urgent question. Margaret Greenwood. Secretary of State for Work and

:00:12.:00:16.

Pensions for his plans to close job offices and the impact it will have.

:00:17.:00:21.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

:00:22.:00:26.

Yesterday's announcement confirmed the proposals that were published in

:00:27.:00:30.

January. These changes will mean that the DWP will be offered a more

:00:31.:00:33.

efficient servers while delivering good value for the taxpayer, saving

:00:34.:00:38.

over ?140 million per year for the next ten years. Eight out of ten

:00:39.:00:43.

claims for job-seeker allowance and 99% of applications are now made on

:00:44.:00:49.

line. This means that the DWP buildings are used much less, with

:00:50.:00:54.

20% of the estate currently under utilised. Our estate plans must

:00:55.:00:58.

reflect the way customers interact with the GW P now and in the future,

:00:59.:01:04.

not the past. I can assure the House that these changes will not lead to

:01:05.:01:10.

reduction to the number of staff. To continue improving the service

:01:11.:01:15.

provided to its customers, job centres are actively recruiting in

:01:16.:01:18.

many areas. These changes are being made in consultation with the DWP

:01:19.:01:23.

employees and their trade unions. This will ensure the important

:01:24.:01:27.

connections that job centre staff have available committee are

:01:28.:01:30.

preserved and customer services can be maintained. DWP PFI contract

:01:31.:01:39.

expires next month and this gives us an opportunity to review how we

:01:40.:01:42.

deliver our services. We have sought to rationalise our estate anyway

:01:43.:01:46.

that delivers value for the taxpayer and makes best use of the safe

:01:47.:01:51.

available, whilst continuing to deliver vital support our claimants

:01:52.:01:54.

and enabling delivery of our reform agenda. Thank you. You will recall

:01:55.:02:00.

that in December last year the Government announced they were

:02:01.:02:04.

planning to close half of the job centres and Glasgow. In January,

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they set up plans further closures. One in ten job centres across the

:02:10.:02:14.

UK. This has the potential of the loss of 750 jobs. Yesterday the

:02:15.:02:19.

Department for Work and Pensions of data. Six of the original job

:02:20.:02:23.

centres earmarked for closure will remain open and two additional job

:02:24.:02:31.

centres that were to stay open, are added to the list. The impact of the

:02:32.:02:35.

closures will be felt by the purest and most honourable in our society.

:02:36.:02:40.

By causing such a large estate, the Government would be forcing

:02:41.:02:42.

claimants to travel further to access the vital services that they

:02:43.:02:46.

need. Impacting on the lives of sick and disabled people, carers and

:02:47.:02:50.

parents of young children. Will the Minister committed now published its

:02:51.:02:56.

the quality analysis for each site being closed. That is a secret and

:02:57.:02:59.

to be made public. 1 million claimants in work deserves a process

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where people may be required to attend job centres. What assess has

:03:08.:03:11.

a made on the demand for job centre services as a result of increased in

:03:12.:03:17.

work conditionality? The decision to close job centres on the scale at

:03:18.:03:22.

the same time of accelerating the role out of Universal Credit makes

:03:23.:03:26.

no sense. It is not good enough to quote figures about online claims to

:03:27.:03:29.

justify closure plans. Universal Credit will place other demands on

:03:30.:03:33.

staff who will have to assess whether self-employed people

:03:34.:03:36.

claiming Universal Credit have a viable business plan. What

:03:37.:03:39.

assessment has me made about the increased demand placed on job

:03:40.:03:43.

centre staff as a result of the roll out of Universal Credit. The

:03:44.:03:46.

closures will have an impact of jobs. With the outline a number of

:03:47.:03:52.

jobs that will be lost in front-line staff and also in the corporate

:03:53.:03:57.

centre sites as a result of the new hub strategy, the corporate centre.

:03:58.:04:00.

The Government must immediately posit these closures to allow proper

:04:01.:04:06.

scrutiny of their plans. I will begin with the first point she makes

:04:07.:04:11.

which is about job centre plus staff. The reality is that in every

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nation and region, there will be an increase in the number of job centre

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staff from the beginning of this process to the end of this process.

:04:24.:04:28.

Job numbers are going up here as we roll out Universal Credit. She talks

:04:29.:04:36.

about 750 job losses. Only a small minority of those are likely to be

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redundancies within front line job centre staff. This is in a period,

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she asks how many, I think the range we're looking at is 80 to 100 or so.

:04:46.:04:51.

I do not want to be too precise on that. That is the number we are

:04:52.:04:54.

looking at at a maximum and we hope to bring that down. The fact is that

:04:55.:05:02.

in terms of these reforms, they are done in a way that takes into

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account the changes in the welfare system. The rolling out of the

:05:07.:05:12.

Universal Credit service. It is absolutely right that we make use of

:05:13.:05:16.

the fact that it is the end of a contract, we have an opportunity to

:05:17.:05:20.

find savings, this is taxpayer 's money that we are talking about and

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what we want to do is find savings in DWP's state budget and at the

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same time, provide modular and up-to-date job centres that revived

:05:33.:05:37.

the service that is needed. -- provide modular in. I am

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disappointed that the party opposite are going to be standing against the

:05:41.:05:44.

careful and sensible use of public money, which is exactly what the are

:05:45.:05:52.

delivering. Thank you. In these difficult times, with my honourable

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friend praised challah job centre that is a huge amount to support and

:05:56.:06:02.

encourage apprenticeships. -- Harlow. Will you make sure the job

:06:03.:06:07.

centres to everything to imply apprenticeships and encourage

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employers to have apprenticeships themselves. My right honourable

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friend makes a very good point. He is a great champion for apprentices

:06:17.:06:24.

and apprenticeships. It is the case that we want to encourage that as

:06:25.:06:29.

much as possible and DWP and job centres are indeed doing that across

:06:30.:06:36.

the country. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Compassionate conservatism lasted

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two days. They should have been an oral statement and a vote on this

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house on this issue. Does the Secretary of State accept there is a

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direct link with deprivation and those job centres earmarked for

:06:51.:06:57.

closure? Will he published an impact assessment, on the effects of those

:06:58.:07:00.

with disabilities and caring responsibilities? What engagement

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has taken place with devolved administrations across the UK? And

:07:07.:07:09.

what will be the effect of the roll out of Universal Credit, given that

:07:10.:07:12.

some of the job centres earmarked for closure have published by his

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department? Can I just make the point to the honourable gentleman

:07:22.:07:30.

that when a comes to job centres and reforms, it was touched on by the

:07:31.:07:34.

honourable lady in her earlier remarks talking about Glasgow, it

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will be the case after these reforms have been completed where there will

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be a reduction in the number of job centres in Glasgow. Glasgow will

:07:43.:07:49.

still have more job centres per head of population than any other city in

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the United Kingdom. It is also the case that a number of the Glasgow

:07:55.:08:03.

job centres where underutilised. It is therefore sensible that the

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rationalise this estate and can deliver modern services. In some

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cases, what we need is much improved job centres with greater facilities

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and capability of doing more things and that is exactly what the

:08:19.:08:23.

strategy involves. As far as the equality impact assessment, it is

:08:24.:08:27.

the case the Government has always fulfilled its obligations in terms

:08:28.:08:32.

of the assessment that it has made of that. I would again make the

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point, I hope the SNP are not going to stand against the sensible use of

:08:39.:08:43.

Government estates to deliver public services in the most efficient and

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cost-effective way. Rationalising the use of Department

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for Work and Pensions property has to be a good thing and that is also

:08:56.:09:01.

true in city which one sees like mine where there is no chance of it

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closing but does he agree the issue is making sure we have the right

:09:12.:09:16.

resources for the expanding roll-out of universal crabs which starts next

:09:17.:09:23.

year. That is exactly right and it is important we have job centres

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that can deal with a new and important role in terms of providing

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the support claimants need having the work coaches in place, having

:09:34.:09:39.

facilities and in some cases that requires new improved estates and we

:09:40.:09:43.

should not be stuck on the footprint we had a few years ago as there is

:09:44.:09:48.

now their chance to make those changes given the contract is coming

:09:49.:10:01.

to an end. I'd just the office has 130 workers, many of whom can have a

:10:02.:10:08.

career and be up parent because of its proximity to their home and

:10:09.:10:14.

there are no nearby offices to relocate to, so can he paused the

:10:15.:10:19.

closure and publish an impact assessment in what I believe is a

:10:20.:10:25.

special case? In the case of the sites he mentions, there are sites

:10:26.:10:32.

in Chesterfield and Mansfield which are within half an hour by car from

:10:33.:10:45.

there. It is anticipated that at least 75%, probably more, of the

:10:46.:10:48.

staff will be able to be redeployed to other sites and will not be in a

:10:49.:10:57.

position whereby redundancy will be relevant and of course DWP is

:10:58.:11:02.

seeking to ensure that number can be maximised. With this Secretary of

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State agree with the importance of getting Jobcentre staff to work in

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places outside job centres like food banks to make sure they are getting

:11:15.:11:19.

the right welfare claims in the right way? There is an important

:11:20.:11:24.

role in terms of outreach with job centre staff can and will perform

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and it is not the case that all work is done within job centres

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themselves, staff can provide outreach services in other sites, as

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they will continue and increasingly do. Sutton is a pilot for universal

:11:42.:11:50.

crabs and I support the principle but I think it is extremely complex

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and is leaving some people completely unable to plan their

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expenditure. When Universal Credit is ruled out more widely, how will

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the Minister make sure those you cannot register claims online or

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feel they have to go to the job centre because they cannot rely on

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the post, how can he make sure they are not severely disadvantaged? It

:12:15.:12:21.

is the case that 99% register for Universal Credit online and it is

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also the case that those who were seeking work are expected to spend

:12:28.:12:33.

up to 35 hours week searching for work and that includes time taken to

:12:34.:12:42.

get to job centres. There are, in particular cases, those who were not

:12:43.:12:47.

able to make it to visit a job centre, in which case other

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arrangements can be made. This Secretary of State is a work I'm

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unhappy about the closure of Shipley job centre. I have many questions

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for him so perhaps my right honourable friend will meet with me,

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but could he confirm that some of the outreach work will continue to

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be delivered within the Shipley constituency, and can he also

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guarantee that the staff can choose which other offers to work out which

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may be closer to their home and so not all have to move to Bradford? In

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terms of outreach work continuing, I have been given that as Terence, in

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terms of staff, more generally, the WP will look to work with staff as

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much as possible to accommodate their preferences. I know he has

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already met the Minister for employment to discuss this matter

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but he and I will have further conversations on this point in the

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near future, knowing previous experience we will probably have

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many such conversations. This Government seems obsessed with the

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spreadsheet economy, to the detriment of communities who must

:14:10.:14:13.

suffer the consequences of austerity, but our National Assembly

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does not have control of your own services and so are vulnerable to

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the closure of job centres. I urge this Secretary of State to reverse

:14:26.:14:28.

these plan closures and I ask whether he would consider devolving

:14:29.:14:35.

Jobcentre Plus functions to Wales. In terms of the employment record in

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the last seven years, we have nearly 3 million people in work, youth

:14:40.:14:44.

unemployment has fallen, the employment rate is high and

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unemployment is at the lowest level since 1975, and some of the credit

:14:52.:14:55.

has to go to the fact that in terms of what job centres are delivering

:14:56.:15:02.

and in terms of our policies, have assisted on that, so if he is right

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we continue to seek good value for money for the taxpayer and I don't

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see any further move towards further devolution in this area. Could this

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Secretary of State tell me what arrangements are being made to help

:15:22.:15:26.

vulnerable claimants access job centres, thinking particularly of

:15:27.:15:30.

rural areas so with help for trouble for example? My honourable friend

:15:31.:15:40.

raises an important point and there are steps which we take to assist in

:15:41.:15:47.

terms of more vulnerable claimants, in terms of being able to do visits

:15:48.:15:54.

were necessary, in particular circumstances, so that will continue

:15:55.:16:00.

but I think for those who can visit a job centre, it is right that we

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require them to do so. Is the Minister are worthy when we embarked

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upon the closure of finding jobs when the pets shot in Derbyshire, we

:16:13.:16:21.

set out the mark unveil straight off the M1 and created several hundred

:16:22.:16:29.

jobs in the process. That has not yet finished with the local

:16:30.:16:32.

authorities concerned. The Bolsover job centre played a significant part

:16:33.:16:39.

in ensuring those 700 jobs were available and as a result they need

:16:40.:16:45.

to continue. We are enlarging the site to provide several hundred more

:16:46.:16:52.

jobs. Surely it's not appropriate to be shutting the Bolsover job centre

:16:53.:16:57.

that has played whenever some part in providing work for those miners

:16:58.:17:03.

and their families who had lost their jobs, surely he should reverse

:17:04.:17:10.

this. First can I express my thanks to the honourable member for his

:17:11.:17:14.

recognition of the work that has been done to help those who had been

:17:15.:17:24.

working, working miners, and I think I am confident in saying that

:17:25.:17:30.

unemployment numbers have moved in the right direction in his

:17:31.:17:35.

constituency in the last seven years, which may reflect the

:17:36.:17:40.

changing political nature of his constituency, but in terms of the

:17:41.:17:44.

Bolsover side, staff are moving to Staveley. It is the case that job

:17:45.:17:54.

centres have a valuable role to play but it is right that we have those

:17:55.:17:59.

modern facilities and that is what these plans involve delivering. I

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would just like to say to my right honourable friend that we are having

:18:09.:18:14.

this debate in the context of record employment and this is something we

:18:15.:18:17.

should be welcome in on both sides of the House, the fact there were

:18:18.:18:23.

fewer people unemployed than ever before and that has brought enormous

:18:24.:18:30.

social benefits... If the honourable lady has a moment's patients, she

:18:31.:18:36.

will see the question, the claimant count... Order. The honourable

:18:37.:18:44.

gentleman does need to put a question, not in a moment but

:18:45.:18:48.

straightaway because a lot of colleagues are waiting to

:18:49.:18:52.

contribute. The honourable gentleman is new and must get used to it but I

:18:53.:18:59.

want him to get to his question. The important thing is that we ensure

:19:00.:19:03.

people have the support we need rather than be obsessed with bricks

:19:04.:19:08.

and mortar. I agree that is the right point and the support people

:19:09.:19:15.

need can often be better provided in well-equipped, modern, sometimes

:19:16.:19:22.

larger job centres then using the estate that may have served us well

:19:23.:19:29.

15 years ago but is now out of date. Sheffield's eastern Avenue job

:19:30.:19:33.

centre is rooted in the community it serves. Its staff there understand

:19:34.:19:39.

local people and can support them because of that. This Secretary of

:19:40.:19:44.

State talks about an improved service that does seem not recognise

:19:45.:19:48.

that centralising the service, breaking the link, will damage the

:19:49.:19:53.

work the job centre can do and will he think again? I would say in his

:19:54.:20:00.

point about the Sheffield centre, let me reassure him that outreach

:20:01.:20:05.

will be put in place in the local community so there will continue to

:20:06.:20:10.

be a service in his career but the number of job centres in Charfield

:20:11.:20:14.

is being reduced from seven to six, but I think in that context of that

:20:15.:20:23.

city I think that is the right move so we have sex properly functioning,

:20:24.:20:27.

Philippe utilised centres rather than more. Can I say to my right

:20:28.:20:37.

honourable friend that when the Labour government closed the

:20:38.:20:40.

Christchurch job centre, this guy did not fall in, but can I ask

:20:41.:20:46.

whether it wouldn't be sensible with fewer job centres to make sure they

:20:47.:20:51.

are open at weekends so are more accessible to people? My honourable

:20:52.:20:57.

friend makes a good point. Other governments have also changed the

:20:58.:21:03.

estate system for job centres and I don't think that was by any means a

:21:04.:21:11.

disastrous move. In terms of his point about opening at weekends, he

:21:12.:21:16.

raises an interesting point and we would have the facility to do that

:21:17.:21:22.

and that is something we would want to keep under review, considering

:21:23.:21:26.

value for money, but if there was a good case for it, that is something

:21:27.:21:36.

we could do. Having conducted a survey outside Batley job centre, I

:21:37.:21:41.

know the majority of users walk there are often every day to use the

:21:42.:21:46.

computers to look for jobs. With it close and they will have to walk to

:21:47.:21:52.

Dewsbury, a journey of 20 minutes if you're able-bodied, so can the

:21:53.:21:57.

Secretary of State confirm whether new sanctioning guidance will be

:21:58.:22:01.

provided those who were late miss appointments? We don't expect people

:22:02.:22:09.

to miss appointments. It is the case that people who were looking for

:22:10.:22:13.

jobs are expected to spend 35 are is weak looking for jobs, which should

:22:14.:22:19.

enable them to travel from Batley to Dewsbury in the time available. We

:22:20.:22:25.

would expect people to make appointments but we would look at

:22:26.:22:28.

the circumstances if somebody has missed an appointment, to take into

:22:29.:22:38.

account any mitigating factors. Has my right honourable friend made any

:22:39.:22:42.

assessment of the direct benefit of job-seekers will experience as a

:22:43.:22:46.

result of co-locating job centre services with other support because

:22:47.:22:56.

outcomes matter here? It is outcomes that matter, there may be

:22:57.:22:58.

circumstances where a co-location has benefit or where having a job

:22:59.:23:07.

centre that is modern and properly designed, is of sufficient scale to

:23:08.:23:14.

provide a range of services to be claimant, all those benefit in

:23:15.:23:18.

helping improve outcomes and it is improving outcomes that we want to

:23:19.:23:28.

do. Further to the answer he gave recently, evidence in the PCS union

:23:29.:23:32.

suggested job centre closures were likely to lead to increased numbers

:23:33.:23:37.

of people being late for appointments and sanction, and the

:23:38.:23:42.

director of the poverty Alliance argued that the Government should

:23:43.:23:43.

reconsider sanctions for lateness. Let's put this in context, 97% of

:23:44.:23:53.

claimants do not get sanctioned every month. I do not think this, as

:23:54.:23:59.

I say, in the context of number of hours we expect people to be looking

:24:00.:24:05.

for work, then I think travelling to a job centre, just in the way that

:24:06.:24:13.

people travel to work, is the way life operates for most people. If

:24:14.:24:18.

there are particular circumstances that result in somebody being late

:24:19.:24:24.

for an assessment or meeting, then that is something that can be taken

:24:25.:24:31.

into account. Does the Minister not realise that job centres are always

:24:32.:24:37.

needed under a Labour Government? Under this Government, with

:24:38.:24:44.

unemployment fives falling, does he agree we should be spending money

:24:45.:24:48.

getting more people into work and not spending it on empty office

:24:49.:24:52.

space? My honourable friend makes a very good point. One could be drawn

:24:53.:25:00.

into a comparison between governments of different sort in

:25:01.:25:04.

terms of records in employment. I am very proud of this Government's

:25:05.:25:08.

record. We have an important role in providing support to people in

:25:09.:25:14.

getting into work and staying in work and improving their working

:25:15.:25:18.

position. I would rather spend the resources we have in doing that as

:25:19.:25:23.

efficiently and effectively as possible and wasting ?140 million

:25:24.:25:29.

per year on an estate that is no longer fit for purpose would not be

:25:30.:25:37.

doing that. I appreciate that the leader is making savings. Including

:25:38.:25:48.

the one in my constituency. It is passing on a huge cost to those who

:25:49.:25:52.

are now going to have to find come out of their benefits, the bus costs

:25:53.:25:57.

of travelling to the new job centre. According to the Minister, it takes

:25:58.:26:03.

39 minutes to get from these places. Clearly, he's never tried to do

:26:04.:26:06.

their journey on a bus. Will he undertake that nobody travelling is

:26:07.:26:11.

sanctioned because of a bus service that is not regular? The first point

:26:12.:26:19.

to make in terms of costs of travel, for those who have been out of work

:26:20.:26:24.

for 13 weeks or more commonly have access to the job centre discount

:26:25.:26:33.

card. That reduces the cost by half. In terms of travelling, there are a

:26:34.:26:40.

lot of people in their daily lives and have to travel distances and

:26:41.:26:46.

have to be at a place on time. Again, when we have got people

:26:47.:26:49.

searching for work, we expect them to spend 35 hours per week looking

:26:50.:26:53.

for that work and that can include allowing good time to travel from

:26:54.:26:59.

home to a job centre. I think that is perfectly reasonable. Again, if

:27:00.:27:02.

there are particular circumstances that result in someone missing an

:27:03.:27:05.

appointment, then there is discretion as far as sanctions are

:27:06.:27:12.

concerned. Does my right honourable friend agree that it is the purpose

:27:13.:27:16.

of the state is reviewed to make sure that the state is effective and

:27:17.:27:23.

reflects demand on service? Not my words but the words of the SNP

:27:24.:27:28.

Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice. On the matter of Police

:27:29.:27:36.

Scotland, showing we argue for rationalising the public services of

:27:37.:27:43.

state when it suits them. Well, my honourable friend makes an excellent

:27:44.:27:53.

point. When governments have to ensure the public money is spent in

:27:54.:27:59.

a sensible way, one of the ways that money can be spent sensibly is by

:28:00.:28:05.

rationalising the estate. Keeping open under utilised job centres is

:28:06.:28:09.

simply not a good use of taxpayers money and it does not do claimants

:28:10.:28:18.

any good either. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Scottish affairs select

:28:19.:28:22.

committee published a report at the end of the last parliament critical

:28:23.:28:26.

of the Government's approach at the closures. Particularly in Glasgow

:28:27.:28:30.

with some claimants having to take three buses at huge expense to other

:28:31.:28:34.

job centres. He has said three times already in the Chamber this morning

:28:35.:28:38.

that he will not review the sanction regime for people who are late for

:28:39.:28:41.

appointments. Will you look at that with the compassion that I know he

:28:42.:28:46.

has as a good minister from the previous parliament to see whether

:28:47.:28:50.

or not anything can be done to make sure people are not sanctioned and

:28:51.:28:53.

put into significant deprivation as a result. I make the point to the

:28:54.:28:58.

honourable member that there are many more appointments for which

:28:59.:29:04.

claimants are late than sanctions. It is simply not the case that being

:29:05.:29:10.

late automatically means a sanction. A judgment is made here but I think

:29:11.:29:15.

we also have to recognise that a lot of people in work have to catch

:29:16.:29:19.

three buses to get to work and are expected to be there on time. I do

:29:20.:29:23.

not think that is an unreasonable position to say that people do have

:29:24.:29:27.

to travel to get to a job centre. If they are able to do so, then that is

:29:28.:29:33.

reasonable requirement. Glasgow continues to be the most generously

:29:34.:29:37.

provided in terms of numbers of job centres of any city in the United

:29:38.:29:48.

Kingdom. The excessive noise from the SNP benches. We are very

:29:49.:29:52.

excitable state. I am not sure what they had for breakfast. I think I

:29:53.:30:01.

would avoid it. We are always grateful to you for your

:30:02.:30:11.

observations. Thank you, Mr Speaker. In Aberdeen, Greyfriars house will

:30:12.:30:14.

close and staff will move to the front facing job centre at Ebony

:30:15.:30:18.

house. Can he give you assurance to my constituents are level and

:30:19.:30:21.

quality of service they receive will not diminish with this decision and

:30:22.:30:25.

what improvements can expect is the in the delivery of service? The

:30:26.:30:31.

reality is, the services will be improving. I am a strong believer

:30:32.:30:35.

that Universal Credit, in particular, can result in an

:30:36.:30:39.

improved welfare system and the increase in the number of work

:30:40.:30:42.

cultures that we have. Scotland is no exception to the fact that every

:30:43.:30:50.

region and nation in the United Kingdom will be seeing an increase

:30:51.:30:54.

in the number of front line staff. And also providing service. I myself

:30:55.:31:01.

have visited a job centre to see the sort of work that is now happening

:31:02.:31:08.

and I am in courage to Ivy improved services -- encouraged by the

:31:09.:31:12.

improved services and the wait staff are working with claimants to help

:31:13.:31:16.

them get jobs and improve their circumstances. No one can accuse the

:31:17.:31:21.

Secretary of State of excluding from his and there is any matter which

:31:22.:31:25.

might be judged by him to be in any way, at any time, material.

:31:26.:31:31.

Comprehensive. That would be a polite way of describing it. Norwich

:31:32.:31:39.

Green job centre serves some of the most deprived neighbourhoods of

:31:40.:31:42.

Liverpool. Can I ask him if he will meet with my right honourable

:31:43.:31:45.

friend, the member of Liverpool Walton and myself to discuss the

:31:46.:31:49.

plans to close it and explore janitors, including core location?

:31:50.:31:58.

-- explore alternatives. It is the case that Liverpool has the third

:31:59.:32:03.

highest of job centres in larger cities. I note that my right

:32:04.:32:07.

honourable friend, the Minister for employment, would be happy to meet

:32:08.:32:10.

the honourable member to discuss this further. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

:32:11.:32:19.

There has been a 70% reduction in those being unemployed in my

:32:20.:32:24.

constituency since 2010. One of the best ways to reach vulnerable

:32:25.:32:27.

claimants who have not managed to get into work is out reach at local

:32:28.:32:32.

colleges where perhaps educational support could be tailored at the

:32:33.:32:36.

same time. Can he confirm that innovation is at the heart of these

:32:37.:32:42.

changes? I think my right honourable friend makes a very good point and

:32:43.:32:47.

certainly job centres are very open to partnership working. I think she

:32:48.:32:51.

highlights an area where there is more progress. We might be able to

:32:52.:32:55.

make but I think she raises an important point. The DWP are

:32:56.:33:03.

proposing to relocate the service centre out of Newport to some

:33:04.:33:07.

location north of Cardiff. Location and clear. Along with my honourable

:33:08.:33:12.

friend, we want to keep these jobs, the expertise and the services and

:33:13.:33:16.

those 249 jobs in the heart of our city. Can I as the Minister to meet

:33:17.:33:20.

with us through to be the case in person? -- Astley Minister. We are

:33:21.:33:27.

trying to find a site that will minimise job losses. I know the

:33:28.:33:29.

Minister for employment would be happy to meet her. My constituents

:33:30.:33:38.

in Broxburn are facing the closure of the DWP office. The phased the

:33:39.:33:46.

further closure years ago. Like other members, the very reliant on

:33:47.:33:50.

the service and the Google map approach by this Government does not

:33:51.:33:53.

reflect the true travel they will have to undertake. Will he undertake

:33:54.:33:59.

to do a full review to the areas that are reliant on vital services

:34:00.:34:03.

that those services provide -- centres provide? When it came to the

:34:04.:34:08.

consultation, we looked at a variety of measures by in terms of travel

:34:09.:34:15.

distance and consultation with staff as well. I do not accept criticism

:34:16.:34:24.

of the approach that was taken. Does the Secretary of State accept that

:34:25.:34:28.

requiring some sick and disabled people to travel further to attend

:34:29.:34:33.

compulsory interviews is likely to lead to more cost and hardship and

:34:34.:34:39.

worry for our constituents who are looking for jobs. What will he do to

:34:40.:34:42.

make sure his plans to not leave these honourable people hit the

:34:43.:34:49.

hardest? -- vulnerable people. Let me be clear, we do not expect

:34:50.:34:55.

claimants to regularly attend job centres. We are not looking to

:34:56.:35:00.

reduce the number of health assessment centres and this is very

:35:01.:35:08.

much focused on job-seekers here at ensuring that we rationalise the

:35:09.:35:12.

estate and use our resources as effectively and efficiently as

:35:13.:35:20.

possible. The closure of local services will have an negative

:35:21.:35:26.

impact on the local economy. It will also impact on the quality of life

:35:27.:35:30.

of employees with caring responsibilities will have to travel

:35:31.:35:35.

longer distances. Can I add him what consultation and impact assessment

:35:36.:35:39.

had been carried out with staff, customers and trade unions and will

:35:40.:35:43.

whose department change direction if the consultation does not support

:35:44.:35:47.

the closures that have been planned? There has been comprehensive

:35:48.:35:52.

consultation, as I set out earlier. It was announced in January and

:35:53.:36:00.

there will be further consultations to decipher whether other

:36:01.:36:06.

redundancies are necessary. These are not reforms, these are cuts. By

:36:07.:36:11.

closing Bridgeton job centre, this is a cut to the support of the

:36:12.:36:15.

people who need it most. We are already getting hurt by this

:36:16.:36:20.

Government at being sanctioned. I see these things at my surgeries.

:36:21.:36:25.

With the Government guarantee or this Minister guarantee, that know

:36:26.:36:29.

one person who is having to travel from Bridgeton job centre to

:36:30.:36:32.

Shettleston job centre will have to be sanctioned after taking two

:36:33.:36:35.

buses, money out their incomes and being viewed as late because of

:36:36.:36:41.

that? What we expect of people is to make reasonable efforts to get to

:36:42.:36:45.

the job centres which are relevant to them. The people make reasonable

:36:46.:36:48.

efforts, they will not be sanctioned. The job centre at

:36:49.:36:56.

Deptford was closed in November 2010, now the job centre in Lewisham

:36:57.:37:00.

will close. Young people will now need to travel to Peckham for

:37:01.:37:06.

support finding employment. With youth violence on the rise, how

:37:07.:37:11.

would the Government ensure our young people travelling to Peckham I

:37:12.:37:19.

kept safe? As I say, people who work in her constituency also travel to

:37:20.:37:25.

get to work. The fact is, we have to have a sensible and properly

:37:26.:37:31.

utilised job centre estate across the country, and that includes in

:37:32.:37:42.

London. Over 300 jobs will move from the site in Paisley to Glasgow.

:37:43.:37:48.

Following hundreds of job losses and transfers, this is the very last

:37:49.:37:54.

thing the economy needs. Can the Secretary of State in Germany they

:37:55.:37:56.

will be zero redundancies as a result of this move? -- can the

:37:57.:38:06.

Secretary of State ensure me's as I made clear, the number of front line

:38:07.:38:12.

staff in job centres in every nation and region of this country will be

:38:13.:38:15.

increasing over the course of this process, not reducing. Thank you, Mr

:38:16.:38:25.

Speaker, knowing me as you do, I have no reason to be journalists on

:38:26.:38:29.

this matter. I will say that I am grateful to see that Castlemilk job

:38:30.:38:33.

centre has been removed from his proposed closure plan but I have to

:38:34.:38:38.

say, there is more than a hint of disappointment that Langside job

:38:39.:38:42.

centre remains on the list. It serves the second most densely

:38:43.:38:47.

populated council population in Scotland. There is a clear need for

:38:48.:38:53.

it to be there. Is there an actual equality impact assessment and will

:38:54.:38:54.

republish it? Can I express my gratitude for the

:38:55.:39:07.

absence of churlishness from the honourable gentleman? He sets an

:39:08.:39:14.

example to us all. In terms of the equalities and impact assessment,

:39:15.:39:19.

the Government has fulfilled its statutory duties as it always does.

:39:20.:39:28.

The original inquiry for the job centres clearly didn't respond to

:39:29.:39:33.

our council's offer of shared premises, if it was just about

:39:34.:39:39.

assets, but this now create a situation with the closure of the

:39:40.:39:44.

Alexandria job centre, where job centres plus staff and DWP staff

:39:45.:39:50.

feel they are under threat. What assurances can the Secretary of

:39:51.:39:58.

State gave to my constituents in Dumbarton that they will not be

:39:59.:40:05.

moved from my constituency? On co-location, we are happy to work

:40:06.:40:08.

with other authorities. When it comes to signing on, it has to be at

:40:09.:40:18.

job centre premises. In terms of guarantees and so on, any department

:40:19.:40:24.

has to sensibly look at its estate and ensure it is deployed

:40:25.:40:30.

efficiently and we are increasing front line staff, not reducing them.

:40:31.:40:39.

Given the Joseph Rowntree foundation in their disconnected communities

:40:40.:40:43.

report used Glasgow as a study centre and suggested strongly that a

:40:44.:40:48.

well distributed employment support network is vital canvas Secretary

:40:49.:40:57.

state tell me how this is being objectively, evidential debased, the

:40:58.:41:02.

cuts now being applied to Glasgow? It will still be the case of the

:41:03.:41:07.

large cities in the UK per head of population, last autumn will have

:41:08.:41:11.

more job centres than any other city. I have porridge for my

:41:12.:41:20.

breakfast with a bit of salt in it, but he said people will not be

:41:21.:41:26.

sanctioned if they make reasonable efforts but who will judge a

:41:27.:41:31.

reasonable effort? My constituents face a six mile round trip with all

:41:32.:41:36.

the attentional of bus routes and Brown journeys, and what does that

:41:37.:41:42.

mean for the remaining job centres in Glasgow? Will he meet with the

:41:43.:41:47.

Scottish Government counterparts before any further decisions? We

:41:48.:41:54.

have settled the estate and do not have immediate plans to revisit

:41:55.:41:59.

that. In terms of the sanctions process, there is a comprehensive

:42:00.:42:04.

system of appeals available and there are far more appointments

:42:05.:42:09.

missed than there are sanctions but I expect that to continue to be the

:42:10.:42:15.

case. Yesterday's statement about the closure of Easterhouse job

:42:16.:42:21.

centre is another body blow to the East End. The Secretary of State and

:42:22.:42:28.

ministers have never bothered to visit job centres in Glasgow, so

:42:29.:42:33.

will the Secretary of State come to Glasgow, do the bus journeys to

:42:34.:42:37.

Shettleston and see how idiotic these plans are? I think you might

:42:38.:42:45.

want to have a word with his honourable friend on the subject of

:42:46.:42:54.

churlishness. Glasgow, as I keep saying, has more job centres per

:42:55.:42:58.

head of population than any large city in the whole of the UK. That

:42:59.:43:07.

will continue to be the case and I have to say, if the Scottish

:43:08.:43:14.

Government took the approach of SNP members in this House in terms of

:43:15.:43:21.

good use of taxpayers money, then they would be in even bigger trouble

:43:22.:43:31.

than they appear to be. Order. Point of order, Mr Tom Brake. It may not

:43:32.:43:33.

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