Written question asked by Andrew Stephenson (Conservative) on Monday, 18 October 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 October 2010. It was answered by Lord Grayling (Conservative) on Monday, 25 October 2010 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Pendle

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist residents in Pendle constituency who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance to enter employment.

Answer: The Government aims to introduce a new national Work Programme by summer 2011. This will be an integrated package of support providing personalised help to a wide range of customers—from jobseeker's allowance recipients who have been out of work for some time, to customers who may previously have been receiving incapacity benefits for many years.Alongside the Work Programme we will deliver a more flexible advisory service in Jobcentre Plus, giving local offices more control and allowing them to deliver in a way that is responsive to local needs.To get Britain working we also need to harness a wide range of talent, ideas and good practice with help from business, the public and voluntary sector and local deliverers of services.We recently launched Work Clubs as a way of encouraging people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences; and Work Together as a way of developing work skills through volunteering. We also announced that we will introduce a New Enterprise Allowance which will support unemployed people who wish to move off benefits into self employment.We are developing further options to encourage pre-employment training and work placements through Service Academies and greater insight into the world of work through Work Experience.

Secondary information