Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many representations he has received opposing the removal of customer access phones from Jobcentre Plus offices; which Jobcentre Plus offices serving constituents of Ogmore constituency have been affected by the removal of customer access phones from such offices; and how many people in Ogmore constituency are being serviced by each such Jobcentre Plus office.
Esther McVey
The Department has received a number of representations on the removal of Customer Access Phones. The Department operates an Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum, made up of charities, community organisations and customer representative groups, and this issue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Forum in May.
Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. Following the removal of Customer Access Phones, claimants who require access to a phone in connection with their benefit or job search will still be given controlled access to a telephone in a Jobcentre.
Ogmore constituents are served by several Jobcentres as the Jobcentre network does not reflect constituency boundaries. A summary follows by Jobcentre in the constituency:
Bridgend Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones have not yet been removed.
Maesteg Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.
Llantrisant Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.
Porth Jobcentre
One Customer Access Phone is currently available; three were withdrawn between November 2013 and January 2014, because of falling demand.
Jobcentre boundaries do not match constituency boundaries so we can only provide a breakdown for Ogmore in total, these follow below:
· Total JSA claimants (March 2014): 1,559
(Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions)
· Total claimants (Working-age client group – key benefit claimants (August 2013)): 10,510
(Source: DWP benefit claimants – working age client group)
