UNITED REFORMED CHURCH REPORT ON JOBCENTRE VACANCIES

Early day motion 824, tabled 6 February 2002 by Huw Edwards (Labour). Signed by 52 members.

That this House congratulates the United Reformed Church and the Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit on publishing a report 'Worth Working For?' on the type and quality of jobs available in jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales; commends the URC on engaging in contemporary social issues and its members for undertaking the research; notes the principal findings in that every jobcentre surveyed the number of vacancies recorded was only just over a third of the official total and that nearly nine in 10 jobs surveyed were paying more than the minimum wage; and calls on the Government to review the method of compiling official jobcentre statistics and to continue to combat social exclusion in the workplace through the national minimum wage, working family tax credit and policies to overcome regional variations in pay rates and the disadvantages faced by part time employees.

Signatures by party: Labour 34, Liberal Democrat 11, Labour/Co-operative 5, Plaid Cymru 1, UUP 1.