§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the numbers of claimants on jobseeker's allowance who were called in to attend interviews whilst taking their holiday entitlement in the United Kingdom in each year since 1996. [61195]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Richard Burden, dated November 1998:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question regarding the number of claimants on Jobseeker's Allowance who were called in to attend interviews whilst taking their holiday entitlement in the United Kingdom in each year since 1996. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.I regret that the Employment Service does not collect statistics of the number of jobseekers who are called in to the Jobcentre to attend interviews during their holiday. In practice, this situation should not occur frequently as interviews can be rearranged if Jobcentre staff are aware in advance that a jobseeker is away from home.I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.