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21 July 2009 : Column 1300W—continued


Jobcentre Plus: Finance

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding Jobcentre Plus has been given to deal with the increased numbers of unemployed people in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [288587]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Jobcentre Plus: Greater London

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) benefit delivery centres and (b) customer-facing jobcentres were operated by Jobcentre Plus in each London borough in each of the last 24 months. [275518]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) agency staff were employed in (i) benefit delivery centres and (ii) customer-facing jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus in each London borough in (A) each year since 2002 and (B) each of the last 24 months; [276546]

(2) when she plans to answer Question 276546, on Jobcentre Plus, tabled on 15 May 2009. [285055]

Jim Knight [holding answer 20 May 2009]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Jobcentre Plus: Interviews

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus on the duration of jobseekers' interviews; whether jobseeker interviews are required to be on a one-to-one basis; how frequently jobseekers may be required to sign on; what recent guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus on caseload management; and if she will place in the Library a copy of this guidance. [271621]

Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus operations are built around the need to provide the support that people need to help them find work as soon as possible.

The average length of the initial interview is 40 minutes, but the actual time taken will vary depending upon individual customer needs. Everyone making a claim for jobseeker's allowance (JSA) has this one-to-one interview with a personal adviser to assess their circumstances, discuss and set in place a jobseeker's agreement and make sure they have information about and access to the help they need. The interview may be shorter if, for example, some of the information is already held.

Following the initial interview, jobseekers are normally then asked to attend the local office fortnightly for a
21 July 2009 : Column 1301W
jobsearch review. The average time allocation for these contacts is 7.5 minutes, but the actual time taken will vary depending upon customer needs. For those people who do not find work quickly, a review is undertaken at or around 13 weeks. The average length of this review is 20 minutes, but the method of delivery and duration of contact will vary, depending upon individual needs. Further interviews take place if the claim lasts longer and interviews taking place at key points such as six months would be of a longer duration.

Detailed guidance has been issued to Jobcentre Plus staff, particularly in view of the introduction of new services in April. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff engaged in (a) administering benefits and (b) helping jobseekers find employment. [285594]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of (a) the number of Jobcentre Plus staff required for the delivery of the jobseeker's regime under the Flexible New Deal and (b) the number of Jobcentre Plus staff recruited to deliver the regime in 2009-10. [286743]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of Jobcentre Plus staff required to deliver fortnightly jobsearch reviews as part of jobseeker's allowance; and how many of the additional (a) 6,000 staff announced in the Pre-Budget Report and (b) 10,000 staff announced in Budget 2009 will undertake fortnightly jobsearch reviews. [286744]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff Jobcentre Plus have recruited to deal with the effects of the economic downturn. [288449]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:


21 July 2009 : Column 1303W

Jobcentre Plus: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on (a) Jobcentre Plus staff bonuses for staff in each district and (b) Pension Service staff bonuses in each month of (i) 2009-10 to date, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2007-08. [286641]

Jim Knight: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Tamworth

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vacancies were advertised in the Tamworth Jobcentre in 2008; and for how long on average each such job was advertised. [283848]

Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table.

Number of vacancies advertised in Tamworth Jobcentre
2008 Notified vacancies Live unfilled vacancies Median duration (days)

January

431

675

47.3

February

727

629

45.5

March

753

707

54.9

April

876

936

42.0

May

650

576

40.0

June

854

739

40.9

July

665

684

46.5

August

969

814

39.5

September

701

782

39.0

October

811

771

35.9

November

713

604

39.3

December

546

554

50.6

Notes:
1. Interpretation of these data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the nomis website at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp
2. The stocks of unfilled vacancies reflect more accurately job opportunities available via Jobcentre Plus. In the case of unfilled vacancies, use of the figures on live vacancies is recommended (i.e. excluding suspended vacancies), and this is the default option. Live vacancies may still include some vacancies which have already been filled or are otherwise no longer open to recruits, due to natural lags in procedures for following up vacancies with employers.
3. Data are unrounded.
4. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS vacancy survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.
5. Median duration is measured in days and is the median time between notification and closure of vacancies.
Source:
Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

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