§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the number of Jobcentres for which each disability employment adviser is responsible, and the procedures that are in place for dealing with cover during times of(a) sickness and (b) agreed absence; and if he will make a statement. [37584]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe Employment Service aims to provide a high quality service to disabled people and their employers. In order to deliver this service we have in place a network of around 650 specialist disability employment advisers.
Information on which Jobcentres each disability employment adviser has responsibility for is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The procedure to cover both unplanned and agreed absences is normally that another member of disability service staff will carry out pre-arranged, priority work such as interviews with clients. If a disability service team member of staff is not available, procedures are in place to ensure that urgent advice can be sought from an experienced adviser where necessary.