HC Deb 08 January 2004 vol 416 cc459-60W
Mr. Goodman

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many specialist teams were available to work with disabled jobseekers in jobcentres in each year since 2000. [146624]

Mr. Pond

Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) within Jobcentre Plus provide support to people facing the complex barriers to work associated with disabilities. They can offer help with finding work and can refer people, where appropriate, to occupational health assessments, training and the full range of Jobcentre Plus disability programmes.

The information is not available in the format requested, as figures are not collected centrally. However, we estimate there are currently around 650 DEAs employed by Jobcentre Plus.