§ 4. Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how effective the jobcentres in Gloucestershire have been in placing people back into work.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Employment (Mr. Michael Forsyth)Since 1 April 1992 jobcentres in Gloucestershire have placed 12,270 people in work—an increase of 18 per cent. on the same period last year.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownMy hon. Friend will be aware that every person who is newly unemployed is entitled to go to a jobcentre and have an in-depth interview for up to 45 minutes—[Interruption.]—to plan how to get back into work. Is not that, combined with the success of the jobcentres which my hon. Friend has just announced, a practical measure which shows that the Government are prepared to help the unemployed, unlike the Labour party, which merely utters platitudes?
§ Mr. ForsythMy hon. Friend is right. I am sure that the House will have noticed the jeers from Opposition Members when he referred to the excellent work done by the Employment Service. Of those people who become unemployed, two thirds find work within six months as a result of the efforts of the Employment Service. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Employment Service. For the longer-term unemployed, a range of measures, including job clubs, have been successful in placing long-term unemployed people back into work.