Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he had with his counterparts in the Scottish Government on the proposed closure of job centres in Glasgow before the announcement of those closures was made on 7 December 2016.

The department has been in discussion with local authorities, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Government for some time now regarding our estates strategy. This has included exploring co-locations in places where this makes sense for all parties. As DWP is currently renegotiating leases on its entire estate portfolio, commercial sensitivities have limited our ability for detailed discussions with Scottish Government on specific site proposals.

The announcement made on 7 December 2016 included commencement of public consultation on three proposed closures. We remain committed to working with Scottish Government to ensure effective support for unemployed people.