The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 15 January 2007:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus offices have had their opening hours reduced in each of the last eight quarters for which figures are available; and which offices had such reductions in the last 6, 12, 24, and 48 months, broken down by parliamentary constituency. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
A total of 97 Jobcentre Plus sites have had a reduction in opening hours in the last eight quarters to September 2006. A total of 123 Jobcentre Plus sites have had a reduction in opening hours in the four years to September 2006. It is not possible to provide information broken down by parliamentary constituency, as it is gathered at a Jobcentre Plus District level. The information available is set out in the attached table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Jobcentre Plus—offices operating reduced opening hours Months Region District 0 to six seven to 12 13 to 24 25 to 48 London — 0 0 0 0 Scotland — 0 0 0 0 North East — 0 0 0 0 East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 0 1 1 0 Cambridge and Suffolk 6 0 0 0 Essex 0 0 1 0 Norfolk 1 1 1 Yorkshire and the Humber North East Yorkshire and the Humber 0 0 3 0 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 West Yorkshire 0 0 1 4 West Midlands Staffordshire 0 0 0 1 Marches 0 0 2 0 North West Greater Manchester East and West 0 0 1 0 Greater Mersey 0 0 0 1 Cheshire and Warrington 0 0 0 4 East Midlands Derbyshire 1 0 0 2 Nottinghamshire 2 3 1 0 Leicestershire and Northampton 1 0 0 0 South East Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire 0 15 0 0 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 0 0 19 6 Kent 0 0 2 0 South West Devon and Cornwall 0 2 9 3 Dorset and Somerset 0 2 6 0 Wales South East Wales 1 0 1 1 South West Wales 0 3 0 0 South Wales Valleys 0 0 4 2 North and Mid Wales 0 0 6 1 Total — 12 27 58 26
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 15 January 2007:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what checks are made by Jobcentre Plus on the immigration status of applicants and claimants. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
When a customer contacts Jobcentre Plus we ask he or she to provide their national insurance number. If a customer does not know their national insurance number or they do not have one, and we cannot match their personal details against an existing record the customer is asked to obtain a national insurance number for their benefit claim to proceed. The national insurance number application process involves an evidence of identity interview where the customer is asked to prove their identity. He or she is also asked questions about nationality, residence, and details of their journey to the UK.
Even if an applicant for benefit already has a national insurance number, he or she will be expected to provide confirmation of their identity as part of the claims process.
At the initial interview the Financial Assessor will establish the customer's identity and, if applicable, their partner's identity. If the Financial Assessor has any concerns, they will request evidence to be provided to verify the identity of the customer, and would not allow the claim to proceed until they are satisfied of the customer's identity.
Anyone who has arrived in the UK in the two years prior to making a benefit claim must prove they have a right to reside in the UK, as well as being habitually resident, before any claim is processed or payment made.
In addition, a "right to work" condition has been introduced into the National Insurance Number allocation and decision-making process for employment-related applications. This was implemented in July and guidance has been issued to all Jobcentre Plus staff
To support this, changes to Regulation 9 of the Social Security (Crediting and Treatment of Contributions and National Insurance Numbers) Regulations 2001 were laid before Parliament on 7 November 2006.
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what role was played by Mind in the development by his Department of the two-day learning event for advisers on working with customers with a mental illness referred to in the Answer of 31st October 2006, Official Report, columns 263-4W, on Jobcentre Plus. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus works with a range of partners including MIND in the development of training materials to support the implementation of the Jobcentre Plus Incapacity Benefit Adviser role. The ‘Working with Customers with a Health Condition or Disability’ training product was developed for staff and sent to MIND for their quality assurance prior to release.