§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the penalties for those who do not turn up for interviews as proposed in the Gateway to Work. [58124]
§ Angela EagleIt will be a condition of benefit that individuals of working age not in full-time work attend an interview in order to discuss the help that is available to them. It is not unreasonable to expect clients who seek state support to attend an interview with a personal adviser to discuss their options, and to make it a condition of benefit that they should do so.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the additional costs in staff time which will be required to initiate the personal adviser scheme detailed in the Gateway to Work. [58130]
§ Angela EagleAdditional resources will be made available to fund the provision of personal advisers for all benefit claimants of working age in the single gateway 553W pilot areas. Detailed work on costs is still being undertaken. An important reason for piloting the single gateway is to measure costs in order to inform decisions about national implementation.