Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) introduce retraining programmes and (b) take further steps to help support unemployed people over the age of 50 move back into the workforce.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government offers a wide range of training programmes such as Sector-based Work Academies, Skills Bootcamps and Apprenticeships aimed at helping people of all ages find work or a new career. Unemployed benefit claimants are supported by Work Coaches and other Jobcentre Plus staff, who are equipped with knowledge about local labour markets and training opportunities, including what may be available for older people looking to move back into employment.
The Government is also providing over £20 million over the Spending Review Period for an enhanced offer for people aged 50+ to remain in and return to work.
Mid-life MOTs will be delivered to people in work in the private sector; to eligible customers in the Jobcentres; and the digital Mid-life MOT will also be expanded and improved. Sessions in the Jobcentres have already started to be delivered.
This funding will also ensure that older jobseekers on Universal Credit receive more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This will give work coaches more time to spend with older job seekers who have recently become unemployed, and who the work coach feels need extra support to tackle barriers or difficulties in finding work.
There are also multiple over 50 jobs fairs, Mid-life MOT fairs and 50 plus events in individual regions and JCPs to facilitate this.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 February 2023, HCWS582, on Additional Jobcentre Support: Pilot Roll-out, whether he plans to deploy additional staff to the 60 jobcentres involved in the pilot.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The pilot is being delivered using our existing Jobcentre resource within each of the pilot areas.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 8 February 2023 from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Social Mobility, Youth & Progression on Decommissioning of Temporary Jobcentres, UIN HCWS549, (a) on what date the decision was made to decommission and (b) on what date Jobcentre staff were notified of the decommissioning of the temporary Jobcentres at (i) Aylesbury; (ii) Bath; (iii) Blyth; (iv) Burnley; (v) Dundee; (vi) Gateshead; (vii) Halifax; (viii) Inverness; (ix) Ipswich; (x) Kettering; (xi) Leeds; (xii) Lincoln; (xiii) London Hackney; (xiv) London Kentish Town; (xv) London Sutton Carew; (xvi) London Tooting; (xvii) Stevenage; (xviii) Sunderland; (xix) Swindon; and (xx) Wigan.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department have always made it clear these sites are temporary, linked to the Plan for Jobs, and the interventions needed due to impact of the pandemic, and that we would look to decommission them at the appropriate time and move back into business as usual – as set out in two updates to Parliament on 23 March 2021 and 20 July 2022.
To that end, the Department’s governance process, and decision to decommission the temporary Jobcentres listed in the Written Statement of 8 February 2023, was finalised on 10 January 2023.
The Department shared the decision to decommission the temporary Jobcentres with the relevant staff for the sites listed in that Written Statement as soon as it was ready to do so – this took place via co-ordinated announcements at 9am on 8 February 2023.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 132435 on Jobcentres: Closures, whether any Jobcentre staff have been advised of the closure of the temporary centre at which they are employed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to question 132435 answered in the House of Commons on 30 January 2023 and question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department has not made any formal announcements to staff regarding decommissioning temporary Jobcentres as part of its ongoing review of the Jobcentre estate.
The review is in progress and the Department will communicate outcomes with Jobcentre staff when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact them. MPs will be contacted should a decision regarding a Jobcentre estate be made that could affect their constituents.
A full list of the temporary Jobcentre sites can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the suitability of information on their eligibility for benefits sent to members of the public who (a) do not have access to the internet, (b) are unable to use the internet, (c) are unable to read or write and (d) do not have English as their first language.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP seeks to identify individuals who have complex user needs and / or require additional support to enable them to access our benefit and services. We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey and ensures appropriate support is made available quickly. This includes those who do not have internet access.
DWP continuously reviews and improves the service for people who claim, or seek to claim, benefits to ensure services are accessible and responsive to citizen needs. All new work coaches undergo mandatory training in the identification and support for vulnerable customers. Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups.
DWPs Jobcentres provide access to services for claimants who need face-to-face support. Jobcentres also display, outside each site, a telephone number with details of how to contact DWP. Jobcentre colleagues are available to those claimants who need us most.
Help to Claim support is delivered independently by Citizens Advice, in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, with support provided through telephony and digital channels. Those individuals who are unable to access support via these channels can go to their local Jobcentre, local libraries, local advice centres and community organisations where they can use computers with internet access free of charge.
DWP has contracted provision for Interpreter and Translation Services. This provision meets Equality Act 2010 obligations and can be arranged for claimants where English is not their first language, or who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. It is DWPs policy to use an interpreter when we need to communicate with a claimant who:
Individuals can choose to use their own interpreter if they prefer.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 127881 on Jobcentres: Closures, if he will list the locations and proposed closure dates of the temporary Jobcentres that his Department has already made a decision to close.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department can confirm that it continues to review its Jobcentre estate with a view to start returning to its pre-pandemic size.
Once the Department is ready to provide more information on proposed closure locations, and dates, it will share the news with staff first and I can assure the House that all MPs will be contacted when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact on their constituents.
A full list of the temporary sites can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of living on staff working in (a) his Department and (b) Job Centres; and whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase remuneration for those staff.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP recognises the difficulties that many colleagues are facing at present. DWP is bound by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance that sets out limits on the pay uplifts DWP is able to implement. DWP has implemented the 2022 DWP pay award in July and we utilized the maximum permitted under the guidance. DWP is unable to make further changes to individual’s base pay outside of the annual pay award. DWP will review the reward offer to all staff within the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance when this is made available for 2023/24.
The Department continues to provide wellbeing support to staff who may be impacted by cost of living increases, including through its employee assistance programme and, where appropriate, signposting colleagues to additional financial support.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2022 to Question 67074 on Jobcentres: Pay, what recent estimate he has made of when holiday pay will be issued to Jobcentre staff.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is committed to making statutory holiday payments in respect of overtime and other similar payments to colleagues and continues to work to implement a solution to enable these payments as soon as is practicable. Work is continuing to overcome significant system challenges. As a result, the Department is not yet in a position to provide a definitive estimate of when these payments will be made to colleagues.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 7 December (HL3726), what components of this "comprehensive learning journey" do all work coaches undertake; and what are the "tools, skills and behaviours" required of those coaches.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Work Coach Learning equips staff with tools, knowledge, skills and behaviours through a rich mix of topics, to enable them to support each claimant as an individual.
This includes building a coaching skill set, focus on vulnerable customers and those with complex needs as well as those with health conditions, the impacts of their condition and what support is available to assist individuals moving closer to the working environment. DWP ensures that staff access the most up to date advice and expertise on a particular health condition/ complex need to support all individual customers requirements through signposted guidance support and websites to effectively use resources from both internal and external sites.
Work Coaches also receive on-going learning for their roles and access to guidance which is refreshed at regular intervals. Please see attached list of learning which Work Coaches undertake as part of their comprehensive learning journey.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 7 December (HL3726), who provides this training to work coaches; and what qualifications do they have.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Work Coach Learning is delivered by DWP Learning Delivery Officers. Learning Delivery Officers receive a bespoke Training for Trainer event which is facilitated by experienced DWP Learning Delivery Officers. This is followed by an intensive consolidation period, peer support and a robust quality assurance process conducted by Line Managers throughout their onward delivery.