§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his policy to amend the rules for covering the cost of the unemployed travelling for job interviews to take account of seasonal jobs lasting less than 12 months.
Mr. JacksonThe travel-to-interview scheme aims to secure permanent jobs for unemployed people by improving the match, in the economy, between labour supply and demand, encouraging unemployed people to apply for jobs beyond daily travelling distance which they would not otherwise have considered. It is through focusing the scheme on permanent jobs that I believe the greatest impact can be obtained from the resources available and I do not therefore think it right to change the rules so as to bring seasonal jobs into scope.