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Written Question
Job Centres: Torquay
Monday 13th November 2023

Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on repairing the Torquay temporary jobcentre; and what his planned timetable is for when the work will be completed.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

DWP announced the decommissioning of the Torquay Temporary Jobcentre on 17 May 2023. Customers and staff exited the site by June. The Department is in the process of preparing the site ready to hand back to the landlord.

We sincerely apologise that this work has taken so long. Since this issue was brought to our attention, we have escalated this to ensure the contractor completes the work as a matter of urgency.

The Department has provided the honourable member with a letter from DWP Estates with further information and a full explanation of the delay, which resulted from a combination of supplier failure and the transition to decommissioning this site.

We can confirm that replacement glazing units have been ordered and the Department will ensure installation is completed as quickly as possible.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
State Pension Triple Lock

"This is my first Opposition day speech in a while and I welcome the opportunity to speak on an issue that is so important for Torbay. It will perhaps be unlike some of my previous speeches in that, first, I am not following the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
State Pension Triple Lock

"The hon. Gentleman made the point in his speech that he was looking to emulate the packages given to pensioners in other countries. If he wants to emulate them, he should look at what those packages include, such as charges for medical services and tax rates that we do not …..."
Kevin Foster - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
State Pension Triple Lock

"I do not recognise the statistics from that report, but I welcome the overall thrust of that argument. When we as a Parliament have decided that we want people on a low income to receive a particular type of support, we want them to be able to get that.

I …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 28 Mar 2019
Supporting Disabled People to Work

"At a Disability Confident event I hosted some time ago, we saw some great examples of very talented people being employed by local employers. What work is the Department doing to ensure those employers are recognised not just for the fact that they have done something good but because they …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 28 Mar 2019
Households Below Average Income Statistics

"One of the regular challenges that those in poverty face is in finding suitable accommodation, as the Secretary of State referred to in her statement. What work is she doing in talking to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that we deliver the quality homes that …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 06 Mar 2019
Social Security and Employment Support for Disabled People

"I welcome the announcements to bring in a better service for those seeking to make claims, in particular on the combination of assessments. An issue that is regularly picked up is a more independent record of some of the assessments. What further consideration have the Government given to things such …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 25 Feb 2019
Employment and Support Allowance: Underpayments

"I welcome the overall tone of the Minister’s statement and her replies to questions so far. Will she confirm what work the Department will be doing with advice charities locally to ensure that people are aware of this process and when they can expect to be repaid the moneys they …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 11 Feb 2019
Oral Answers to Questions

"I welcome the reduction in the maximum deduction rate, but what analysis has the Minister done of what that may mean for the poorest households and how will he communicate the impact of the change?..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 08 Jan 2019
Universal Credit: Managed Migration

"I welcome the tone of the response from the Minister so far—it is always good to see him at the Dispatch Box—but could he confirm how the Department will go about selecting the 10,000 to take part in the pilot, how it will monitor it and how it will report …..."
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