§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her estimate of the costs to the Employment Service of administration of the jobseeker's agreement. [2770]
§ Mr. ForthResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Alan Howarth, dated 12 November 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the costs to the Employment Service of administration of the Jobseeker's Agreement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.The Jobseeker's Agreement is an integral part of the effective delivery of the Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). It is an agreement which is entered into by a Jobseeker and an employment officer and which complies with the prescribed requirements in force at the time when the agreement is made.The Jobseeker must sign the agreement which states their availability for, and what they will do to actively seek employment. The Jobseeker's Agreement is used during the Jobseeker's intervention to discuss their efforts to find work.However, the agreement is only one aspect of an intervention under JSA, and therefore it is not possible to separately identify the cost of administering just the Jobseeker's Agreement within the overall costs of Jobseeker's Allowance.I hope this is helpful.