HC Deb 14 February 2002 vol 380 cc634-7W
Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the safety of staff in jobcentres. [33047]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: Regular health and safety risk assessments and safety inspections are conducted to ensure the safety of staff in Jobcentres. These assessments are reviewed whenever new services are introduced.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce screened reception areas in benefit offices after the removal of security screens for individual desks. [32967]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: In every Jobcentre Plus area there will continue to be screened provision for dealing with those customers and transactions known to give rise to particular risk. The precise type and location of this provision will depend on the recommendations of the risk assessments carried out in each individual Jobcentre Plus office.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the level of physical assaults that have taken place in Jobcentre Plus Pathfinder clusters compared with the level of assaults that have taken place in other centres administered by him. [32966]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: During 2000, (the latest year for which full records are held) there were 164 cases of physical contact between Benefits Agency staff and clients. In the Employment Service, which has twice as many offices as the Benefits Agency, there were 233 cases of physical contact in that year. Cases of physical contact cover any physical contact, including spitting, the throwing of small items such as paper clips or rolled up forms, or touching of any kind. Approximately 190,000 people per day visit Benefits Agency and Employment Service offices, and 100,000 people work in the two agencies.

In the Jobcentre Plus Pathfinder offices, since they opened for business on 22 October, there has been one reported case of physical contact between a member of public and a member of staff where a client trod on the foot of a member of staff, possibly by accident. In that period, well over half a million people have passed through Jobcentre Plus offices.

Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the results were of discussions held with the Health and Safety Executive prior to the removal of glass security screens from the new Jobcentre Plus offices; and what recommendations were made by the Health and Safety Executive. [32638]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answer 5 February 2002]: Officials have discussed the changes to delivery associated with Jobcentre Plus and the risk assessment measures we have put in place with the Health and Safety Executive. Overall the HSE were satisfied with the general level of management of safety issues and the areas for improvement they will cover in their report are all within the scope of our current procedures.

Full risk assessments have been carried out in every Jobcentre Plus office and all of their individual recommendations implemented in full. Safety measures implemented as a result of risk assessments include security guards, installation of closed circuit TV cameras, provision of safety alarm systems, controlled segregation of staff areas using coded door locks and changes to the office layout to maximise safety.

Officials continue to remain in touch with the Health and Safety Executive as we review the effectiveness of the new service arrangements.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (I) what additional protection he will provide for Benefits Agency staff following the removal of security screens; [32969]

(2) if he will amend his security plans for benefits offices. [32968]

Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the removal of screens in Benefits Agency offices. [33048]

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to carry out a review of staff safety before removing screening from Benefits Agency offices; and if he will make a statement. [32759]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answers 4 and 6 February 2002]: There are no plans to remove protective screens from Benefits Agency offices until they are converted into fully integrated offices of the new Jobcentre Plus service.

56 Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices are already open and operating effectively—with positive feedback from staff and customers. For each of these offices a full health and safety risk assessment has been conducted and its recommendations implemented in full. These risk assessments are now in the process of being reviewed in the light of experience of live operations. The measures implemented to support the safety of staff and improved customer service as a result of the risk assessments include: closed circuit television; better management in each office to avoid difficult situations building up, for example floor managers to greet customers and guide them through their visit; where recommended by risk assessments, security guards with clear instructions as to when to intervene; in each pathfinder area screened facilities to deal with situations likely to give rise to particular risk; a clear zero tolerance policy under which determined action will be taken against anyone threatening or abusing Jobcentre Plus staff.

Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training was given to his Department's staff with regard to the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001 before they came into effect on 23 October. [24218]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

Some 50,000 days of training were provided for the approximately 4,000 staff in Jobcentre Plus pathfinder office before they opened in October 2001. The amount of training delivered to individual members of staff was largely dependent on their background and experience. For example, staff new to the personal adviser role received an average of 73 days training, whereas existing personal advisers received an average of eight days training. The requirements of the specific regulations referred to was fully covered in the training provided wherever appropriate.