§ Mrs. EllmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the impact of the results of the ONE pilots on the proposed restructuring of the Benefits Agency in Liverpool, Mersey District. [115845]
§ Angela EagleThe ONE pilots, which are operating in 12 parts of the country, do not currently affect Liverpool, Mersey District. No decisions have been made about whether to extend the service nationally. However, the Department for Education and Employment and this Department are currently working jointly on the design and development of a new agency for delivering labour market and benefit services for people of working age, and this will provide a better framework for delivering all of our welfare to work initiatives—in Liverpool, as well as in the rest of the country.
§ Mrs. EllmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the progress made with ONE pilots. [115846]
§ Angela EagleAll 12 of the ONE pilots are making good progress in helping people plan ways to become independent. The level of service we provide has also been improved by the Benefits Agency, Employment Service, local authorities and private and voluntary sector bodies working in partnership.
Although it is too early to judge the level of success, we are already helping people move from welfare into work and the initial response from clients using the new service has been very encouraging.