§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the information technology that will be required to implement the jobseeker's allowance; what are its costs; and if it will be installed and ready to use by April 1996; [23933]
(2) what contingency plans have been developed in case the information technology that will be required to implement the jobseeker's allowance is not installed and ready to use by April 1996; if such plans could process annually (a) fewer than 100,000, (b) between 100,000 and 250,000, (c) between 250,000 and 500,000, (d) between 500,000 and 1 million, (e) between 1 million and 2 million and (f) more than 2 million; and what are its costs. [23934]
§ Miss WiddecombeThe new computer systems will support the implementation of the jobseeker's allowance. The labour market system will replace current computer systems in Employment Service jobcentres used to support vacancy filling and advisory work, at an implementation cost of around £70 million.
The JSA payments system is being developed to pay JSA, by girocheque or automated credit transfer, at an implementation cost of around £40 million to March 1997.
In addition, the stand-alone computer system currently used in ES sector adjudication offices, adjudication officer automation, will continue to be used to support adjudication and appeals casework.
We are keeping progress on the development and installation of information technology systems and equipment under close review. If we conclude that the arrangements being made cannot be put in place or only at an unacceptable level of risk in April 1996, alternatives will be considered.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will undertake that no job seeker will lose any money due to him or her if the information 159W technology that will be required to implement the jobseeker's allowance is not installed and ready to use by April 1996. [23945]
§ Miss WiddecombeYes. The aims of the Jobseekers Bill are to help people into jobs, improve our services to people while they are unemployed and achieve better value for the taxpayer. The Government's priority is to introduce the jobseeker's allowance through the network of 1,200 jobcentres for unemployed people throughout the country. This is a large and complex undertaking. It involves development of two substantial new computer systems and very large-scale training programmes. We have kept the project under close review. Substantial progress has been made but we have now concluded that, in order to deliver an excellent service to unemployed people from day one, JSA should be introduced in October 1996.
The transitional arrangements for JSA will be such that the duration of an unemployed claimant's entitlement to unemployment benefit will, from April 1996, be the same as it would have been had JSA been introduced on that date.
Plans for the introduction of the back-to-work Bonus are unaffected. The bonus will be introduced as planned in October 1996.