§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mobile jobcentres have been established; in which areas they have operated; how many people have been obliged to attend work-focused interviews as a result and how many people have found work as a result. [177900]
§ Jane KennedyWe have established no mobile jobcentres. We do however acknowledge the need to reach out to the communities that we serve. We do have mobile information services that go into the community to provide information and advice. They do not carry out work-focused interviews.
For example an Ethnic Minority Outreach service provider in North London uses a mobile bus service to meet customers on their doorsteps, bringing access to a range of job and training opportunities. Action Teams make use of mobile units to reach jobless residents who would not normally register with Jobcentre Plus services. The St. Helens Action Team, for example, reached out to 46 eligible customers with their mobile units in May 2004, placing 27 of them into work.