Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of (a) duplicate and (b) expired job postings on the Universal Jobmatch website.

(a)We have rigorous checks built into the service, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. When we identify a duplicate job, we remove it.

(b) When an employer posts a job they set an expiry date which they can change at any time or close the job earlier when it is filled. However, to maintain the system, the UJ service will automatically set an expiry date of 60 days.

However, if we are informed that a job is no longer available we will investigate and ensure the vacancy is expired if appropriate. This can be done by using the 'Contact Us' facility within Universal Jobmatch.