Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Helping People into Employment: Cumbria, Cheadle and Darlington

Monday 5 February 2024 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial work coaches are supporting people to secure and progress in work across the country.
  • The Kendal jobcentre is working with local and national employers to match jobseekers with vacancies.
  • The civil service application process is being piloted to speed up placements of young people in employment.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Gibson
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Darlington constituency faces job vacancy challenges.

Question

What steps he is taking to help fill job vacancies in Darlington constituency?

Answer from Jo Churchill

Across the country our fantastic work coaches are supporting people to secure and progress in work. In Kendal, Cheadle and Darlington, jobcentres are working with local and national employers to match jobseekers with vacancies through job fairs, sector-based work academy programmes and apprenticeships.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Darlington specifically was not addressed in detail despite the question asking for steps taken there.

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Q2 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Immigration Employment Local Government
Context

Local businesses are facing challenges due to a shrinking workforce.

Question

I do indeed celebrate the work of the Kendal jobcentre. It does a fantastic job but one problem is that it has too small a workforce. This week we mourn the loss of yet another Lake District business, this time a bistro in Coniston, due in part to the loss of affordable homes and to restrictive visa rules, both of which are shrinking our local workforce. Will the Minister meet me and local Cumbrian business leaders to develop a plan to tackle Cumbria's workforce crisis?

Answer from Jo Churchill

I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, but I also gently say that this is about other Government Departments as well. I will certainly work with him as far as employers go, under my remit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The need for collaboration across departments was acknowledged but no concrete plan or timeline was provided.

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Q3 Mary Robinson Con
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Young people placed in the civil service face delays due to a lengthy application process.

Question

Speaking to Stockport jobcentre last week, I heard about the success of the movement to work scheme, which places young people with employers, including in the civil service. However, the lengthy civil service application process is delaying placements. Will my hon. Friend look into how the process could be streamlined and accelerated, and join me on a visit to Stockport jobcentre?

Answer from Jo Churchill

I know that senior civil servants are engaged in piloting an initiative that will help to speed this up, because we need to place those candidates more quickly and ensure that we get them into work swiftly. I would love to visit Stockport and add its jobcentre to the growing list that I have visited.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While a pilot initiative was mentioned, no specific details or timelines were provided regarding streamlining the process.

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Q4 Peter Gibson
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Darlington's Jobcentre Plus Facebook page was established to help job seekers.

Question

I put on record my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman) for his work to establish the Jobcentre Plus Facebook pages, of which Darlington's was the first. Will my hon. Friend the Minister outline how successful that page has been and what further plans she has to develop accessible social media job advertising?

Answer from Jo Churchill

We know that social media helps, and that 40 to 50-year-olds in particular enjoy engaging with a digital platform when they are looking for work. We have had instances in the past of people thanking us when they have been given interviews online. It is important that posts are accessible and we are working to ensure that this is the case.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The success metrics were not provided, and no specific future plans for social media job advertising were outlined.

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