Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a jobcentre is permitted to require a jobseeker to attend a voluntary employment support project in receipt of no statutory funding without the consent of that project.

Esther McVey

The role of the Jobcentre Plus Work Coach is to provide support and advise claimants of the best opportunities available to help them secure employment.

Jobcentre Plus can issue a Jobseeker’s Direction to require JSA claimants to undertake activity they judge will help them back to work. However, before doing so, the Jobcentre Plus Work Coach will take into account the claimant’s individual circumstances, as well as determining that the activity being required will help improve their employment prospects and they can reasonably be expected to undertake it.