Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, What steps she is taking to improve access to face-to-face Jobcentre services in rural areas.

The majority of our current service provided by Jobcentres is through face-to-face appointments through a network of more than 630 jobcentres, spread across England, Scotland and Wales.

As part of the new Jobs and Careers Service, we are testing changes to Jobcentre Plus, including alternative delivery of our services. This includes Jobcentre Vans which are testing new ways of supporting people, providing advice and support for all customers, not just those claiming benefits. Vans are currently being tested in three communities in both rural (Northeast Scotland and North and Mid Wales) and urban settings (Bolton, Greater Manchester), delivering some Jobcentre services via locations within the community, selected to best meet customer needs.

As part of our test and learn approach to create the new Jobs and Careers Service, we will incorporate the learnings from these tests into the design of the new service and will continue to work closely with key partners to deliver solutions based on local needs.