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Economic Downturn (Unemployment)

The measure of success is how good a customer service Jobcentre Plus is offering. In addition to the six full-time and part-time Jobcentre Plus offices within Dorset, customer access phones and flexible service delivery arrangements are available in various locations throughout rural parts of the county, including children’s centres, GPs’ surgeries and so on. Jobcentre Plus in Dorset has recruited 70 additional staff since April 2009. It has extended opening hours, both in the evenings and at weekends, undertaking work for the four full-time offices. I beg the hon. Gentleman’s help in influencing the Tory local authorities in the county and encouraging them to let us use some of their council offices to provide access to Jobcentre Plus services. That has been done successfully in some parts of the county, but in others, particularly Christchurch, it has not been felt appropriate. As a Government, we are investing £6.9 billion in getting people back to work. We must also look to the future. The recession will not be permanent. From a national perspective, we want to develop our position as an international leader in emerging industries such as the green energy sector, develop new industries and create new jobs. From a regional perspective, I want the south-west to be at the forefront of those new industries. We have the resources and creativity to lead the way, to be at the forefront of the green revolution and to be the trailblazers of the UK’s new digital and creative industries, for example. Bristol is a world leader in its own right in the creative industries, as is iconically demonstrated by the brilliant Banksy exhibition that I visited at Bristol museum last month, by Aardman Animations, and by the BBC natural history unit. We have similarly great strengths in Plymouth and in Bournemouth at the university’s media school.