Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus on referrals of claimants to JD Sports.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department has not issued any national instructions to staff about the referral of claimants to JD Sports. At a local level, the Jobcentre in Rochdale suspended recruitment activity with JD sports in Rochdale pending the outcome of a DWP investigation into working practices following allegations made by a Channel 4 documentary. This DWP investigation has concluded and we have now lifted this suspension.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which companies Jobcentre Plus has been barred from making referrals to.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
In relation to jobs advertised on Universal Jobmatch, there is not a list held centrally of companies that is issued to our local offices as a means of barring referrals.
To advertise job vacancies on Universal Jobmatch, all employers/recruiters are required to register through the Government Gateway. They are obliged to sign up to detailed Terms & Conditions, agreeing that the jobs they advertise on the Universal Jobmatch service are available to jobseekers on an open and fair basis; and that all vacancies comply with employment related legislation including the Equality Act 2010, Health and Safety legislation and Working Time Regulations.
Additionally, 'Contact Us' and “Report This Job” facilities are provided within the Universal Jobmatch service so users can quickly highlight any employers that they have concerns about, which are then fully investigated.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of employees at Eastern Avenue Jobcentre, Sheffield whose mobility rule within their contract will be breached by the decision to close that jobcentre.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department for Work and Pensions is now consulting with colleagues at Eastern Avenue Jobcentre, Sheffield. We are seeking to relocate, or offer alternative roles, to all employees affected by the proposed closure.
It is important to stress that this is a proposed closure: we will make a final decision informed by the consultation process with our colleagues. The Department for Work and Pensions will not breach the mobility rules within employee’s contracts. If an employee moved outside of their contractual mobility it would only be with their agreement.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long the consultation on the closure of Jobcentre Plus offices will last.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We have committed to a public consultation for offices over three miles and 20 minutes away by public transport.
The public consultation for some Jobcentres in Glasgow started on 7 December 2016 and closed on 31 January 2017.
Following announcements for other Jobcentre Plus offices on 26 January 2017, There are now a further 25 consultations underway, covering 27 sites. All 25 consultations started on 30 January 2017 and will end at 5pm on 28 February 2017.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claimants are affected by the decision to close the jobcentre at Eastern Avenue, Sheffield.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We currently have 1150 UC and JSA claimants using Eastern Avenue Jobcentre. This information is available from the following link: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Guidance for users is available at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
We are unable to provide exact figures of ESA and IS claimants potentially affected, however the purpose of the equality analysis is to help establish how many people are likely to be affected by the proposal.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether officials of his Department visited Eastern Avenue jobcentre, Sheffield before announcing the decision to close it.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Over the past few months senior DWP operational managers and commercial colleagues have visited Eastern Avenue jobcentre, Sheffield.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what visits to jobcentres it is his policy to reimburse claimants for travel.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The reimbursement of travel costs is available to claimants when they are required to attend the Jobcentre for appointments other than mandatory fortnightly signing appointments.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has conducted an impact assessment of the closure of Eastern Avenue Job Centre, Sheffield; and whether his Department made an assessment of the potential effect of (a) demographics and (b) access to the internet when making the decision to move that Job Centre.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We will be undertaking an equality analysis as part of the detailed planning for service reconfiguration. This will include consideration of the potential effect of demographics and the impact on service accessibility. Our merged Jobcentres will continue to offer internet access to support claimants and we are working with local authorities as part of our ongoing partnership to improve digital access and capability.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Jobcentre Plus offices have made referrals to Asos' online distribution centre in Barnsley.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Jobcentre plus have not referred claimants directly to Asos’ online distribution centre in Barnsley. However referrals have been made to companies contracted by Asos’.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the outcome of his Department's consultation, Personal Independence Payment Assessment, published in July 2016.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Second Independent Review of Personal Independence Payment is due to be published and laid before Parliament by 8 April 2017.