Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Scotland Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Sheila Gilmore Excerpts
Wednesday 25th February 2015

(9 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Gordon Henderson—not here.

Sheila Gilmore Portrait Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East) (Lab)
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6. For what proportion of participants in the Work programme in Scotland job outcome payments have been made to providers of that programme.

David Mundell Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (David Mundell)
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Work programme participants are some of the hardest to help and can experience multiple barriers to finding work. There are two providers in Scotland: Ingeus has supported 21.2% of all claimants into a job outcome; and Working Links has supported 20.4% of claimants into a job outcome.

Sheila Gilmore Portrait Sheila Gilmore
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The Work programme has performed worse in Scotland than in any English region. In the meantime, successful local projects such as the Engine Shed in my constituency have had to close. Does the Minister agree that powers over this should be devolved as quickly as possible—and not just to the Scottish Parliament, but to local authorities?