Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to support the work of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Job Centre.

DWP ensures that all Jobcentre Plus staff receive comprehensive training and have access to up-to-date, modern systems. This includes clear diary management tools, enabling staff to support customers as effectively as possible. Where additional expertise is needed, staff can draw on a network of specialist roles such as Disability Employment Advisers and work psychologists or refer customers to local providers.

DWP continues to work closely with local partners, employers, and training providers to ensure that Jobcentre services in Newcastle-under-Lyme remain responsive to the needs of the community. This includes signposting to training, apprenticeships, and employability programmes, as well as supporting local recruitment and skills initiatives.

In addition, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. The new service will be a locally tailored and embedded service, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers. It will be an active partner with key local stakeholders and providers of services and will be flexible, operating differently in different areas to reflect local systems and needs.