§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the new Jobcentre Plus office in Burnley to open; and if he will make a statement. [174041]
§ Jane KennedyThe administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Peter Pike, dated 18 May 2004:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning when the new Jobcentre Plus office in Burnley will open. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus has been established to deliver a radical change in the way that benefits and employment services are provided to people of working age. By 2006, we plan to introduce a network of around 1,000 fully integrated Jobcentre Plus offices.
Through the development of these new modern offices, Jobcentre Plus will provide an integrated, work-focused service to all people of working age. The introduction of work-focused interviews is extending the opportunity to more people to take advantage of the help, guidance and support we can provide to assist them to move into sustainable employment. We are also 879W introducing new services for employers, which will help them fill vacancies more quickly with well-prepared and motivated employees.
I am pleased to tell you that the Jobcentre Plus Investment Board met on 12 May and funding has been secured for the new Jobcentre Plus office in Burnley. Subject to planning permission for the new office and intrusive site survey results being satisfactory, we expect to proceed with a new building on the Town Hall car park site and have completion by Spring 2006, assuming there are no unforeseen technical problems. This office will deliver all the Jobcentre Plus face to face services and we will retain the Social Security office at Brun House as a Benefit Processing Centre.
I have asked the Jobcentre Plus District Manager for East Lancashire to keep you informed of developments.
I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason 960 business square metres is sought for a new Shanklin Jobcentre Plus office; and what the area is in business square metres of Ryde and Newport Jobcentre Plus office. [174341]
§ Jane KennedyThe administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 18 May 2004:
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply direct to your question concerning the business square metres sought for the new Jobcentre Plus office in Shanklin and the number of business square metres of the Jobcentre Plus offices in Ryde and Newport. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
To maximise the possibility of maintaining an office in Shanklin two options were examined. An initial search was made for 960 square metres of business space to accommodate other business together with a Jobcentre Plus outlet. This was subsequently reviewed and 450 square metres sought for an outlet only.
Ryde Jobcentre Plus outlet is 351 business square metres. Newport Jobcentre Plus outlet is co located with other parts of our business on a large site. The area used for the Jobcentre Plus is approximately 850 business square metres.
I hope this is helpful.