§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the changes that individual benefit offices in the Jobcentre Plus areas have been asked to make to ensure they are accessible to incapacity benefit claimants, with specific reference to changes to(a) buildings, (b) furniture and (c) printed materials. [24219]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownJobcentre Plus is currently being delivered in 56 pathfinder offices. In the seven offices where providing entirely equal physical access to services has not been possible, alternative arrangements are in place to ensure that disabled people can still access these services. At Halifax, Darwen, Derby Normanton Road, and Wellington, there is restricted access to the first floor of these buildings, however all public services can be provided on the ground floor. At Pyle and Hoylake space restrictions mean there are some restrictions to staff movement. Only at Harlesden has public access been severely compromised by steps to the public entrance. Planning consent is being sought for a ramp. Alternative arrangements are in place to ensure service access for disabled people including home visits and assisted access at the office itself. The nearby office at Kilburn is fully accessible.
47WInternally, Jobcentre Plus offices and furniture have been designed to enable full and equal access for all Jobcentre Plus customers. Adviser workstations enable both customers and staff to view the information on the monitor screen. The shape of the worktop allows wheelchair users the same access as able-bodied customers. The newly introduced self-service job vacancy terminals, known as "Jobpoints", have been designed specifically to enable access by wheelchair users.
All Jobcentre Plus leaflets are available in alternative formats, including Braille and audiocassette. In addition to alternative formats for printed material, Jobcentre Plus offers textphone facilities and British Sign Language interpreters or other suitable communicators to help deaf or hard of hearing customers.