Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches will be recruited in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands.

It is too soon in the recruitment process to be able to identify specific numbers for each city or location. Recruitment will be targeted based on local demand, plus current available and emerging estate space and Job Centre operating model changes.

Central England & Wales region (which covers Birmingham and the West Midlands) plan to recruit c1,200 new work coaches. This will be between now and the end of October in the first wave of recruitment, further planned recruitment later in the year will grow these numbers.