---

Dept for Work and Pensions;Jobcentre Plus

Answer

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many redundancies he expects from the closure of JobCentre Plus, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement; [190033] (2) what representations his Department has received on the closure of JobCentre Plus, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement; [190034] (3) what plans there are to deploy those affected by the closure of JobCentre Plus, Victoria Avenue, Southend- on-Sea to other areas within his Department; and if he will make a statement; [190035] (4) what factors underlay the decision to close JobCentre Plus, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement. [190036] Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member. Letter from David Anderson to David Amess, dated 11 October 2004: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions regarding the announcements made on the closure of the Victoria Avenue Jobcentre Plus site in Southend-on-Sea. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. It is too early to say whether there will be any redundancies arising from this closure. The Department's aim is to redeploy as many staff as possible into other jobs within Jobcentre Plus, particularly in Great Oaks House, Basildon, which will be requiring additional benefit processing staff and is within daily travelling distance from Southend. We will also be looking at redeployment opportunities in other parts of this and other Government departments. Following this redeployment exercise we will have a clearer picture of whether redundancies might be necessary, and the numbers affected. The District Manager for Essex has written to our partners and external stakeholders to inform them of the announcement. No representations have been made so far concerning the closure of the Victoria Avenue site. In deciding to close Victoria House, a number of factors were taken into account, including how best to use the space available to us, and the staff expertise available to do the work. For benefit processing centres, we are looking at sites capable of accommodating 250 to 600 staff, and Victoria House is not large enough for this. Furthermore, under our contract with our estate partner Land Securities Trillium, Victoria House can be released more quickly and thus more cheaply. I am happy to assure you that the face to face customer service to the people of Southend will be maintained in our Jobcentre Plus outlet at Dencora Court, Southend. Should you wish to meet with the District Manager for Essex to discuss this further he can be contacted at the Essex District Office in Chelmsford on 01245 545122.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c41-2W; 190033;190034;190035;190036

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Closures Jobcentre Plus Redundancy Offices Southend on Sea

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk