Are there any circumstances when JCP can mandate a jobseeker to provide a telephone number and/or an email address and/or a CV?

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Are there any circumstances when a jobseeker (a JSA/ESA claimant) may be mandated by Jobcentre plus, by way of a Jobseeker's Direction for example, to provide a telephone number and/or an email address on which the Jobcentre may expect to be able to contact them, if the jobseeker does not wish to provide this information?

Specifically, are there any circumstances in which a jobseeker would (note: not could, or may) be sanctioned for refusing to provide a telephone number and/or an email address?

If the jobseeker does not have a telephone (landline or mobile) is there any circumstance in which the Jobcentre can force the jobseeker to obtain one, even if this is being supplied at no cost to the jobseeker by, for example, the Jobcentre or a Work Programme provider? Would the jobseeker have to accept this or otherwise face a sanction?

Furthermore, are there any circumstances where a jobseeker would be sanctioned for refusing to allow the Jobcentre/DWP to keep a copy of their CV such that it would be permanently accessible to advisers etc?

If the jobseeker is not legally obliged to give a permanent copy to the Jobcentre/DWP is there a legal requirement to show a copy of a CV to the Jobcentre and, if so, would it be considered reasonable for a jobseeker to redact any personal information, such as telephone numbers, email addresses, employer details etc., from a CV being shown to an adviser?

Please reference any DWP/Jobcentre guidelines and any other relevant legislation to justify all answers.

Yours faithfully,

Jason Davies

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Dear DWP freedom-of-information-requests,

Additionally, in the specific circumstance where a jobseeker is refusing to register with Universal Jobmatch, would the jobseeker be sanctioned if his reason for refusal is not wanting to supply an email address during the registration process (bearing in mind that supplying an email address is mandatory to set up a Government Gateway account and without which registration with Universal Jobmatch is impossible)?

Please explain fully your reasoning with reference to relevant DWP guidelines and/or legislation.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Davies

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Mr Davies
 
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Mary Sanderson left an annotation ()

Mary Sanderson left an annotation ()

Your CV can be requested but not stored. All the information held on your CV should be on your Action Plan as well as your computer records. This information is captured during a diagnostic interview with your Adviser and this data helps them to match you to suitable jobs and/or training etc.

Dear Operations FOI Requests,

Thank you for your response but I believe it may be open to interpretation and therefore would like some clarification.

You state: "However, a Jobseeker's Allowance claimant may be issued with a Jobseeker's Direction, requiring them to take a reasonable, specific activity that will help them find work, e.g. getting a CV, telephone number or email address will help a claimant get a job."

My interpretation of this, in light of your first statement: "Providing a CV, email address or telephone number is not mandatory, therefore is not sanctionable." is that while a jobseeker may be mandated to create or possess a CV, a telephone number and an email address if it is reasonable in their circumstances, that they cannot however be mandated to give or show or reveal their CV, their telephone number and their email address to the Jobcentre/adviser and would not be subject to a sanction for refusing to do so. Is this correct?

Furthermore a jobseeker's email address becomes available to the Jobcentre when a jobseeker has created a Universal Jobmatch account even if the jobseeker has not given access to their account. This is corroborated by the fact that this is the default method of locating a jobseeker's UJM account, as specified in the UJM Toolkit (point 8, chapter 3). Therefore, if there is no mandatory requirement to provide the Jobcentre with their email account and consequently the jobseeker chooses not to provide this information, surely this provides reasonable grounds for a jobseeker to refuse to register with Universal Jobmatch? To be clear, I am not seeking opinion on this matter but would like a clear statement as to whether a jobseeker may reasonably refuse to register with Universal Jobmatch for the reason previously stated.

To put this another way, the usual reason given by the DWP for being able to mandate a jobseeker to create a Government Gateway account is that creating a Universal Jobmatch account is reasonable and this can't be done without first creating a Government Gateway account. But if, as stated in your reply, a jobseeker cannot be mandated to provide his email address then how can he reasonably be mandated to create a Government Gateway account and subsequently a UJM account? Again I am not seeking opinion but a reasoned response, preferably supported by relevant legislation.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Davies

Jason Davies left an annotation ()

Mary said: "Your CV can be requested but not stored."

That's not how I interpret their reply. It seems clear to me that they can mandate you to have an email account, a telephone number and a CV BUT they cannot mandate you to provide or reveal any of this to the Jobcentre/DWP.

Mary Sanderson left an annotation ()

Hi Jason

It is may be reasonable to create a CV have a telephone no. and an email address for Jobseeking purposes, but you do not have to provide the information for JCP to keep or store.

You have to give your consent for any personal data to be held or stored by a business including the Jobcentre.

Mary Sanderson left an annotation ()

It is that 'reasonable' test again. Nothing is cut and dry.

If you do not have a mobile phone you could ask JCP for assistance with buying one.

If you do not have a computer an email account is not going to be helpful unless you can book a JCP computer on a regular basis or the nearest free computer centre is within reasonable travel/cost distance for you.

If you do not have the ability to use IT then requesting an email account would be unreasonable.

[Name Removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

If they are insistent on people doing all what the DWP and JC+ think to be reasonable when looking for work, then i suggest they dig deep in their own pockets and show willing, as its clear to most living on £70 a week will not be in a financial position to do so if they currently don't have a mobile, land line or 24/7 internet connection.This would not be their fault, but one of dia economic circumstance. It would also help others if they rolled out more I A D's in the job centres,

Jason Davies left an annotation ()

@Glen Marden

In response to one of my FOI requests the DWP make it absolutely clear that the JSA award is meant to cover anything and everything that a jobseeker spends money on - including all the highly variable costs of finding work.

But, as Mary points out, what they ask of you has to be reasonable in your personal circumstances. My concern is that many people are either too unworldly or just not good enough at negotiation to be able to reject unreasonable demands from the Jobcentre and the Jobcentre actively and disgracefully use and abuse this fact. I find it outrageous that any amount of the JSA has to be allotted to job seeking costs.

As far as IADs go they are installing an extra 6000 in Jobcentres to cope with Universal Credit claimants and jobseekers.

[Name Removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

Ive heard of making a little £ go a long way, but this is ludicrous. No wonder Ian Duncan Smith declined the challenge put to him to try living on JSA for a week.

Dear Operations FOI Requests,

It has now been one month since my last message. Please respond.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Davies

Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Mr Davies
 
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Dear Operations FOI Requests,

Thank you for your response.

The DWP cannot legally force a jobseeker to reveal his telephone number, email address or CV because this is personal information as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998.

In that knowledge please explain, by providing the relevant supporting legislation, how the DWP considers it can ever be "reasonable" to force a jobseeker to reveal this information by way of a jobseeker's direction in direct contravention of the Data Protection Act 1998?

Yours sincerely,

Jason Davies

Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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