Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants are registered at the jobcentre in Pyle; how many of those claimants are required to attend for daily signing; what cost impact analysis was undertaken for claimants travelling to Porthcawl from Pyle as a result of the decision to close the Pyle Jobcentre; and if he will make a statement.

There are currently (February 2017) 170 people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit at Pyle Jobcentre. There is no comparable Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support claimant count available at individual jobcentre level. However, the total numbers of new claims to Employment and Support Allowance made in the last 12 months in Pyle (March 16 to February 17) is 379. The total numbers of new claims to Income Support made in Pyle in the last 12 months (March 16 to February 17) is 10. Those who use our services do so to varying degrees, depending upon the type of claim they have. For example, those in the work-related activity group of Employment and Support visit the jobcentre for more regular interviews with an adviser, whilst those in the support group do not have to attend interviews unless they wish to speak to a personal adviser and for this reason there is no statistical information available for those required for daily signing.

The purpose of our equality analysis and public consultation was to help establish how many people are likely to be affected by these proposals, including any additional costs. Before announcing our proposals for the Pyle Jobcentre relocation, we considered travel costs between Pyle and Porthcawl and concluded that it would cost £5 for an adult day return ticket and £2.90 for those aged between 16-18 years old.