12 October 2007
Ministers should not force the Jobcentre Plus agency into further job cuts – or they risk undermining progress in helping people off benefits and into work, backbench MPs warned this week.
The Commons' Public Accounts Committee reported on October 9 that the often-criticised personal advisers at Jobcentre Plus offices 'are generally doing a good job in guiding and assisting people into work'.
But PAC chair Edward Leigh said: 'The trouble is they spend some half of their time bogged down with unnecessary administrative work or having to cope with needless interruptions and broken appointments.'
After assessing the effectiveness of the Jobcentre Plus personal adviser system, Leigh urged the agency and its parent body, the Department for Work and Pensions, to 'give advisers the kind of working environment and support facilities to increase their face-to-face time with customers'.
The role and effectiveness of the 9,300 personal advisers have come under fire from political opponents.
Advisers dealt with 10.8 million jobseekers' interviews in 2005/06 at a cost of £240m in salaries. But ministers have published plans to privatise underperforming services for the long-term unemployed.
However, the PAC believes that many of the problems stem from poor IT systems, as well as requirements that reduce the time advisers spend with jobseekers and benefit claimants.
Recent administrative changes have helped, and MPs believe that advisers will be 'crucial' to future improvements. But the DWP is committed to saving 5% of their budgets over the next three years, putting services and jobs at risk.
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