Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had on the effect of the seven day waiting period for jobseeker's allowance on those undertaking intermittent full-time employment via job agencies.

The waiting days change does not affect existing ‘linking’ rules which mean that anyone leaving benefit for a period of up to 12 weeks, perhaps because they have taken short term employment, would not serve waiting days again when they reclaim. Therefore the Department has not consulted on the effect of this measure on intermittent full-time employment via job agencies.