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4. Mr. Peter Pike (Burnley) (Lab): When he expects the Jobcentre Plus roll-out programme for new offices to be completed. [190394]
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Alan Johnson): Jobcentre Plus is central to this Government's strategy to deliver full employment in every region and to modernise welfare delivery. Our roll-out programme is progressing well, with over 530 new offices already in operation. The roll-out programme will be complete by April 2006on time and on budget.
Mr. Pike: My right hon. Friend knows that I am a strong supporter of the Jobcentre Plus concept, because it provides a much better service to the public whom it serves. It works far better than the old system. In the final part of his answer, he said that the programme would be achieved on time, so can he assure me that the Jobcentre Plus office in Burnley will be open by the early part of 2006?
Alan Johnson: I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. My understanding is that the building of the new Jobcentre Plus office in Burnley will commence construction in February 2005 and be completed in 2006.
Mr. John Greenway (Ryedale)
(Con): I had the great pleasure during the recess of opening the Jobcentre Plus office in Malton in my constituency and I pay tribute to the work of staff there. I want to ask the Secretary of State two questions. First, will he confirm that those offices will be able to give face-to-face interviews, which are needed from time to time by people who find it difficult to understand the benefits to which they are entitled? They need to see someone rather than be dealt with over the telephone.
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Secondly, does the Secretary of State agree that the success of the programme in linking at least two Government Departments depends on a partnership between employersparticularly small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the providers of many of the jobs in our constituenciesthe Department and, more particularly, training providers? Will he confirm that private and voluntary sector providers, which have a better success rate at getting people back into work through training, will be encouraged to take part in the process?
Alan Johnson: I am pleased that the hon. Gentleman attended the opening of his Jobcentre Plus and that he appears to be such a fan of the Jobcentre Plus service, but I suggest that he has a word with some of his Front Benchers about the importance of maintaining that important service. He is right about the role of the voluntary and private sectors. Indeed, a third of the services are provided through that route at the moment. However, I find it difficult to comprehend the "public sector bad, private sector good" philosophy that says that the whole lot has to be privatised to make it effective. I can also reassure him that personal counselling will be available, which is why we are increasing the number of personal counsellors by 10,000 over the next few years. Although the internet and telephone service is important, face-to-face contact is also crucial. I can also confirm that the partnership with employers is probably one of the most exciting aspects of the Jobcentre Plus programme.
Mr. Frank Doran (Aberdeen, Central) (Lab): I am fortunate that my constituency has one of the most enterprising, innovative and effective Jobcentre Plus programmes in the country. I think that I am right in saying that the Grampian district was the first service to be awarded the charter mark last year. The Secretary of State made an announcement on 16 September about the centralisation of benefit processing. We in the north of Scotland were a wee bit surprised to see that Aberdeen was not going to have a processing centre.
In answering the last question, my right hon. Friend mentioned the importance of face-to-face contact, but that is going to be taken away from my constituents, particularly the most vulnerable ones. I ask him to reconsider that gap. We must be the only district in Scotland that will not have a benefit processing centre in the area. That will be a severe disadvantage to my constituents and to others in the area.
Alan Johnson:
I recognise the excellent service offered in the Grampian region and I understand the sensitivities around the issue. I can give my hon. Friend an assurance that the district managers have made it clear to me that they will get involved in discussions with concerned MPs. That is in addition to other lines of communication. I am perfectly happy to meet colleagues on this matter. I am sure that my hon. Friend will understand that merging the Employment Service and the Benefits Agencythereby using some £5 billion of investment in the DWP in the past few years to make the service better and to improve the technology
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availableinvolves some tensions, in the sense that we need to prioritise the benefit centres that we are opening. Having said that, I will think again about my hon. Friend's proposal and meet him and any other concerned MPs to discuss it.
Mr. John Taylor (Solihull) (Con): Will the Secretary of State note that, when the new offices are rolled out, it would be extremely desirable for my constituents to have a one-stop shop for their various welfare and benefit services and assistance, rather than having to go into Birmingham for some of them? That would establish a state of grace in Solihull, and I thank the Secretary of State in anticipation if he thinks that a reasonable chance exists of that happening.
Alan Johnson: Establishing a state of grace in Solihull is one of my political priorities and I am very willing to listen to the hon. Gentleman's representations.
Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab): The Rhondda has been part of the Bridgend pilot for Jobcentre Plus roll-out, which has been phenomenally successful, especially in Tonypandy, and a brand new office is being built in Porth. The staff have done a very good job, but many are nervous about change in terms of where they will be working; for example, the back office is moving out of the Rhondda to Merthyr Tydfil or Swansea. Will the Secretary of State look at what can be done to ensure that more DWP jobs are located in some of the poorest constituencies in the land, such as the Rhondda?
Alan Johnson: I will certainly look at that issue. In my four weeks in this job, I have been extremely impressed by the work and dedication of DWP staff. This is a difficult time for them, but they will understand that, although we are reducing back-office personnel by 50 per cent., we are also increasing the number of front-office personal advisers by 80 per cent. We want to do that by looking at the Lyons philosophya philosophy that I know well through my role as MP for Hull, West and Hesslewhich is concerned with trying to get such jobs into the poorest areas. I shall certainly take cognisance of the point that my hon. Friend makes.
5. Mrs. Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the access to work scheme for people with disabilities; and how many individuals have benefited from the scheme and gone on to permanent paid employment. [190395]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Eagle): Access to work helps disabled people enter into or retain paid work by assisting with the cost of equipment, adaptations, travel and communication support. Since 1997, we have almost trebled the number of people helped, and more than trebled the budget spend.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
I am among those UK employers who have actually taken advantage of the access to work scheme. It is outstanding, and may I
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suggest that those hon. Members who have not looked at the scheme do so, because it provides an opportunity to bring people with various disabilities into the workplace? However, its administration remains a significant challenge on Merseyside. What is being done to make it more effective and efficient?
Maria Eagle: I congratulate my hon. Friend, who is well known for putting her money where her mouth is. She has a fine record in supporting disabled peoplenot just with words but with deeds. I know that her experience with her own member of staff has shown that the scheme's administration has given rise to some confusion and delay, and I admit that not all our attempts to process access to work payments and provide support are as swift as they might be. However, in Merseyside and the north-west we managed to get support in place for some 87.5 per cent. of such cases, which is the target figure. My hon. Friend will doubtless accept that assessing need and finding the right kind of equipment, support and help often give rise to difficulties, because such need varies for every person. However, we aspire to improve the service's administration. We have already regionalised it, and improved the standard of assistance and the speed with which it can be put in place, but we aspire to do more.
Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell) (Con): Will the Minister double-check the implications of the national minimum wage rules for work experience schemes for those with learning disabilities? Earlier this year, I was approached by a constituent who told me that one such scheme had to be abandoned because the organisation responsible for it was forced to follow national minimum wage guidelines. As a result, the whole nature and economics of the scheme changed. The Minister will doubtless agree that such schemes are essential and worth while, and that we do not want them to be obstructed because of rules that apply to a different part of the labour force.
Maria Eagle: I am very much in favour of people with learning disabilities, who are some of the most disadvantaged people in the labour market, being given every chance to work like anybody else, but that requires that they also be given the chance to earn a proper wage. I would not suggest for one moment that it would be appropriate to abandon the national minimum wage for those with learning disabilities. I am happy to look into the particular instance that the hon. Gentleman raises, because I know that the interaction between the benefit rules and such regulations as the permitted work rules and benefit disregards can sometimes appear to be a disincentive to work. I am aware that that is an issue that needs further work, but the answer cannot be to disadvantage disabled people in the labour market by undercutting the national minimum wage. I would not approve of that.
Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen, South)
(Lab): Access to work is very successful and, at long last, many more employers are beginning to hear about it and to use the scheme. If my hon. Friend looks at the administration of the scheme, will she consider examples in which employers employ sub-contractors or the self-employed, especially in the media and on short-term
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contracts? The employers are happy to pay for the supply of the equipment, but they need advice. The delays in obtaining the advice means that, by the time that it arrives, the person has moved on or the contract has already been fulfilled. In such circumstances, it is often better for disabled people to be self-employed and retain flexibility, but it is difficult for the employer to obtain advice quickly to allow them to employ a disabled person.
Maria Eagle: My hon. Friend has a point in the sense that it is often difficult to get access-to-work help in place in time for very short-term contracts. The scheme has perhaps been more designed to support permanent full-time work, rather than short-term jumping around from job to job. However, it is important not to underestimate the difficulties that assessment itself can bring. Not every disabled person with a particular condition is easily assessed to determine what help they need. It is a reflection of the success in more disabled people coming into the labour market, which I welcome, that we now sometimes have difficulties in finding appropriate agencies to assess needs and I agree that we need to look more closely at that problem.
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