Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Liverpool, Riverside residents who will be directed to different jobcentres than those they currently attend; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Claimant numbers have fallen over the last 3 years and although it is not possible to provide a breakdown of claimant numbers who may be asked to travel to a jobcentre inside or outside the Riverside constituency, I can give assurance that the wider impacts on local communities were taken into account as part of review of our estate.
Our Work Coaches personalise the support they provide for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance, including the offer of home visits and postal signing where appropriate. The needs of vulnerable claimants, such as those limited by a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, are taken into account when arranging any attendance.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what estimate his Department has made of the number of claimants living outside Liverpool, Riverside who will be directed to jobcentres in Liverpool, Riverside; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Claimant numbers have fallen over the last 3 years and although it is not possible to provide a breakdown of claimant numbers who may be asked to travel to a jobcentre inside or outside the Riverside constituency, I can give assurance that the wider impacts on local communities were taken into account as part of review of our estate.
Our Work Coaches personalise the support they provide for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance, including the offer of home visits and postal signing where appropriate. The needs of vulnerable claimants, such as those limited by a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, are taken into account when arranging any attendance.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what assessment he has made of potential transport difficulties experienced by claimants travelling to a different jobcentre from the one they currently attend; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
During the consultation, the catchment area of each jobcentre was investigated and specific travel times and bus routes were compiled locally. Our work coaches personalise the support provided for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance. Where claimants have limitations due to a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, then this is taken into account when arranging any attendance.
DWP acknowledges that the proposals included in the consultation may increase travel costs for some claimants. We also recognise that some claimants will be taking an unfamiliar journey: work coaches will support these people over the transition period until they become familiar with their new travel arrangements.
Claimants can also make a request to attend a jobcentre that is closer to their home, or with more convenient travel links, if that better suits their needs. Our work coaches will help signpost claimants in such circumstances. DWP is able to reimburse travel costs for claimants and customers, taking into account their particular circumstances, who attend the jobcentre outside their minimum requirement of attendance. This is not new and is the case for any claimant required to attend a jobcentre throughout the UK. Support to meet travel costs is also available to eligible claimants via the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, depending on the operator or route.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, if he will publish the equality analysis referred to; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Equality analyses are not routinely separately published. However, throughout the redesign of our estate the department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and the impact of its plans on its colleagues and customers.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment he has carried out of the effect of proposals to close job centres in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Throughout the development of our proposals, the Department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. An equality analysis of the potential impact on staff and customers in Liverpool was informed by statistical analysis of population data, local knowledge and consultation.
Any issues identified were taken fully into consideration and helped to inform our final plans which were announced on 5 July 2017.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to cease work capability reassessments for employment and support allowance claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities where the condition is unlikely to improve; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
This change will come into effect in autumn 2017 and will apply to those placed in Employment and Support Allowance’s Support Group and the Universal Credit equivalent.
Whilst the new criteria and process for this group of claimants is developed, we do not plan to reassess claimants who had the most severe health conditions or disabilities when they had their first Work Capability Assessment. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop the new criteria and, when finalised, we will revisit this group to confirm the position, but we expect this will not require a face-to-face assessment.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of employment in Liverpool of the announced closure of jobcentres and other offices of his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
As a large employer we understand the potential impact that any closure or relocation of an office may have. This is why we carefully considered the wider impacts on local communities in reviewing our estate and the sites we intend to keep were identified as part of our longer-term strategy.
The increased use of digital services means that several jobcentres in Liverpool are underutilised; meaning that we are spending money on rent for space that is unused rather than on services and support. Our proposals seek to redress that. However, DWP is retaining a substantial presence in Liverpool and staff will be offered the opportunity to relocate to other parts of DWP wherever possible.
We are recruiting and expect to have more Work Coaches in March 2018 compared to today.