What the media says about me...

"The most ferocious member of the public administration committee – if rottweilers had pets, they'd keep Mr Prentice on a piece of string, and hungry"

Simon Hoggart, Guardian, March 2010

MP Warns Against Reliance on the Private Sector to get People into Work

Tags: benefits | employment | Jobcentre Plus | Press Release

Monday, 21 July 2008 00:00

Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, is urging the Government to stick with a State run employment service in its drive to get more people back into work. He says the private sector, which will bid for contracts for work currently done by Jobcentre Plus, can fail spectacularly. The MP says the performance of ETS, an American company responsible for the key stage tests fiasco, is a “cautionary tale” of what can go wrong. Work and Pension Secretary, James Purnell, told the Commons earlier today that Incapacity Benefit will be abolished and be replaced by the Employment and Support Allowance. Everyone will move over to the new Allowance between 2010 and 2013. Those people who are ready for work will go on to Job Seekers Allowance. Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: “The Minister told us today that “Jobcentre Plus is recognised as one of the best back-to-work agencies in the world.” Yet here we are, carving it up and awarding contracts to private sector companies who may be unable to deliver on their promises.” The MP continued: “I strongly believe that people who can work, should work.” The Green Paper: “No-one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility” is out for consultation until 22 October.