Burnt Oak Jobcentre

HC Deb 31 March 2003 vol 402 cc594-5W

Mr. Dismore

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the clients of Burnt Oak jobcentre live in Hendon constituency; what proportion of the total clientele of Burnt Oak jobcentre live in Hendon constituency; who was consulted about the jobcentre's proposed closure; in what way they were consulted; why the hon. Member for Hendon was not included in the consultation; when the jobcentre will close; why the hon. Member for Hendon was not informed of(a) the decision to close the jobcentre and (b) the date it was to be closed; if he will defer its closure to allow the hon. Member for Hendon to make representations; and if he will make a statement. [105037]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, Clare Dodgson. She will write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Clare Dodgson to Mr. Andrew Dismore, dated 27 March 2003: As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning Burnt Oak Jobcentre and the creation of Jobcentre Plus facilities in your constituency. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of the Agency. As part of the rollout of Jobcentre Plus we are taking the opportunity to rationalise the estate previously occupied by the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. Burnt Oak Jobcentre did not have a customer base of jobseekers of its own but offered job broking facilities for people claiming benefits through Mill Hill Jobcentre and Wembley Jobcentre Plus as well as people already in employment. As part of the roll out of the full Jobcentre Plus service in Brent, Harrow & Hillingdon District, we examined alternative means to deliver our services rather than just through Jobcentres. These include Jobseeker Direct and the Jobcentre Plus website. We are also putting Jobpoints into Burnt Oak library and an outreach service at the local Careers Library. Employers will also be able to use the employer suite in Wembley Jobcentre Plus. We wrote to stakeholders, including local MPs, about the closure of Burnt Oak Jobcentre on 28 June 2002 asking for comments on the service delivery plan for Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon District by 19 July 2002. We wrote again confirming our plans on 17 September 2002. Burnt Oak Jobcentre closed on 21 March 2003. I hope this is helpful.