Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is planning to (a) open and (b) close any Jobcentres this year.

The Department continually reviews its estate to ensure it meets the needs of customers and represents value for money, making changes where appropriate. The Department’s Workplace Transformation Programme is working closely with the Jobs and Careers Service to ensure that our physical spaces evolve to support more personalised, modern employment and skills services for customers. This includes exploring new approaches to workspace location, design and partnership working that enhance accessibility, collaboration and customer outcomes. Any future decisions regarding the Jobcentre estate will be communicated to Parliament in the usual way.