§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many casual workers were employed by Jobcentre Plus in the South East region in each of the last two years; what the cost was; and what the projected numbers are for the current year. [1515301
§ Mr. BrowneThe administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 23 February 2004:
As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the employment of casual members of staff by Jobcentre Plus in the South East. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
The information you require is in the table below. It should be noted that Jobcentre Plus operates according to the fiscal year; therefore the information includes a projection to 31 March 2004.
Year ending 2002–03 2003–04 Casual staff engaged1 252 3250 Cost2 £3,066,634 3£3,716,020 1This represents the total number of contracts offered during the course of a year. 2This represents the salary costs for the total number of casual members of staff in post for each month of the year. 3projected Source: Financial Accounting Operations System Activity Based Information System. I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation has taken place with outside interested bodies(a) prior to and (b) since the Jobcentre Plus reorganisation; and what representations he has received from groups representing (i) unemployed workers and (ii) pensioners. [151531]
§ Mr. PondThe administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 23 February 2004:
As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what consultation has taken place with outside interested bodies prior to, and since, the Jobcentre Plus reorganisation. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus came into existence as a national organisation at the beginning of April 2002 The Benefits Agency and Employment Service ceased to exist at the same time. The new service is being rolled out across the country on a district by district basis. Over 350 integrated Jobcentre Plus offices are now 314W operating across the country. Integrating the whole of the former Employment Service and Benefits Agency's services for people of working age and creating the national network of Jobcentre Plus offices will not be completed until 2006.
As each district starts to plan for the introduction of the new integrated Jobcentre Plus, service delivery arrangements are shared with local stakeholders, MPs and others. The service delivery arrangements are shared at the initial proposal stage, amended to take account of comments received where appropriate, then shared again when approval for the plans has been given. This is an integral part of the planning process for the introduction of the Jobcentre Plus service across England, Wales and Scotland.
District Managers are provided with a list of suggested stakeholders for this initial planning stage. These include; local MPs/MEPs/MSPs/Members of the National Assembly of Wales, local authorities, programme providers/service delivery partners, employers, Citizens Advice Bureaux, and welfare rights organisations. This list is not exhaustive and each District Manager may identify their own local stakeholders.
As part of the consultation process District Managers may also canvass the opinions of their customers and any comments they provide will be used as part of the planning process. Representations districts receive about Jobcentre Plus service delivery plans from our stakeholders can also include those representing unemployed workers and pensioners. Any concerns or issues raised by these groups as a result of the consultation process will be addressed at district level and are fed in to each districts planning before the final decision is made for roll out of Jobcentre Plus in that district.
Jobcentre Plus managers at all levels maintain close contact with many local and national organisations representing our client base. This enables continuous feedback concerning the services that we provide before, during and after the roll out of the new Jobcentre Plus services.
I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has(a) to provide new Jobcentre Plus premises for the inner city areas of (i) Portsmouth and (ii) Southampton, (b) to increase staffing levels in remaining offices and (c) to improve the furnishing in remaining offices. [151535]
§ Mr. BrowneThe administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Hancock, dated 13 February 2004:
As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning Jobcentre Plus proposals for the inner city areas of Southampton and Portsmouth. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Plans are currently being developed to roll out the new integrated Jobcentre Plus service in both Portsmouth and Southampton. Partners and stakeholders were originally consulted about these plans in June and September 2002.
Presently, options for both cities are being vigorously pursued. While suitable premises have been identified for Portsmouth that will have the capability to deliver the enhanced services to Portsmouth customers; discussions remain commercially sensitive. Therefore, we are unable to give details of the sites under consideration. Commercial considerations also apply to Southampton, where work is ongoing.
Jobcentre Plus is contributing to the wider DWP modernisation and efficiency agenda and the workforce planning levels agreed for Jobcentre Plus form part of this. There are no plans to change substantially the numbers of people who work in Southampton and Portsmouth Jobcentre Plus locations beyond the impact of these plans. Each Region has a share of the total Jobcentre Plus performance target with the allocation of resource budgets within 315W Jobcentre Plus linked to expected workloads and performance targets. The headcount target for each region, and each district in that region, and each office in that district, is based on this.
The new Jobcentre Plus service will provide a more professional and welcoming environment. When the new Jobcentre Plus offices open, they will be to the design and furnishing standard of this new enhanced Jobcentre Plus model. Existing Jobcentre offices in Portsmouth and Southampton undergo regular quarterly health and safety inspections, where the existing furnishings are reviewed.
If there are any specific issues you wish to raise about these offices or if you would like to see the new specification in offices which have rolled out the new service, please contact Karen Gamester, the District Manager for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, on 01962 848887, who will be happy to assist.
I hope this is helpful.