Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
1. Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway
1.1 Jobcentre Plus staff are issuing opaque orders (copy below) for people in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance to register on the Government Gateway.
1.2 Can you confirm that none of the Actions listed in these civil service delivered orders indicates they are mandatory and that if none of the actions listed on this document are not followed there will be no benefit sanction? Please provide internal information on Jobcentre Plus policy on whether your policies on fully informed consent apply to Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway?
1.3 What are the legal basis that registration with the Government Gateway are a mandatory condition of Jobseekers Allowance?
1.4 Please provide a copy of all the guidance issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway?
1.5 Please provide a copy of all the guidance issued to Jobcentre Plus staff that states they they can make it mandatory for people in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance to allow Jobcentre Plus and DWP staff log-in access to their Universal Jobmatch account and work search records records, without the account holder needing to be present. Is consent required to allow DWP and Jobcentre Plus staff to have log-in access to a Universal Jobmatch users account?
1.6 Please provide a copy of all the guidance issued to Jobcentre Plus staff that states they can make it mandatory for people in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance to disclose the "User ID No" referred to in item 4 of the order. I consent required to disclose to DWP or Jobcentre Plus staff confirmation of a Universal Jobmatch/Government Gateway "User ID No"?
1.7 Can you confirm that Jobcentre Plus or Universal Jobmatch Staff have the facility to provide any Job Applicant, upon their request, with the contact details of any employer who has posted a vacancy on Universal Jobmatch, so the applicant can apply direct to the employer, rather than disclose personal correspondence and a job application (personal data) with the government via Universal Jobmatch?
1.8 Can you confirm that Jobcentre Plus that it is not possible to sanction someone's Jobseekers Allowance if they do not wish to apply for a job only listed on Universal Jobmatch, but would be happy for Jobcentre Plus to assist them make a job application direct to the employer, rather than disclose personal correspondence and a job application (personal data) with the government via Universal Jobmatch?
1.9 What law and regulations make it mandatory for someone on Jobseekers Allowance to give DWP or Jobcentre Plus copies of personal private and confidential correspondence with employers, to retain, concerning job applications?
Yours faithfully,
Frank Zola
Copy of orders
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Registering on Government Gateway
A new, modern, online job posting and automated matching service will be launched on 19 November
This will be an essential tool to help you find work and I will be talk to you about how to make best use of the system each time you visit the Jobcentre. In order to access the new service you will need to have a Government Gateway account. You can create this account now, to ensure you are able to access Universal Jobmatch when it becomes available.
I have listed below the action you need to take to set up your Government Gateway account. Please do this within the next two days. If you need any help do not hesitate to contact me.
1. To register with Government Gateway go to www.gateway.qov.uk
2. Enter the Government Gateway and click the Register button.
3. You will be asked to input your name, your email address and a password containing 8-12 numbers and letters.
4 You will be allocated a User ID. Please keep a note of this as you will need to use both the User ID and the password you created to access Universal Jobmatch. DWP will need a note of your User ID No. to allow access to your account, please bring it with you when you next sign on.
5 You will receive a confirmation email from the Government Gateway. You need to click on the link within this email to complete the registration process. Please note that the link will expire within 24 hours. After that time you need to go back into Government Gateway and request a new confirmation email through the 'Your Account" section.
This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.
By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct.
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.
[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
References
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1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway'.
No response.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/un...
Yours faithfully,
Frank Zola
This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.
By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct.
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.
[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
References
Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
Gavin Shaw left an annotation ()
Well, still no response for the information requested. Although, it has since been confirmed that using Universal Jobmatch is and has not been mandatory to this current date. Therefore, any hassle caused through being forced to use a service that was optional, and lead to believe otherwise is something everyone should be aware of. As this request indicates, the lengths some JCP & WP Providers are prepared to go to any lengths possible to screw you out of benefits just goes to show as to why people who should of fought for their benefits before October 22nd 2012, is now the same reason as to why they are getting handed out left right and center. Simply put, it's causing enough trouble to now make the DWP add the additional "Delay" tactic which is to be used as a way to determine whether or not a benefit sanction should be reconsidered in reversing, once more evidence to suggest a job seeker is actually job seeking, and serious enough to go to lengths in getting back benefits that are automatically regardless of whether you meet all requirements to be entitled to a payment or not. The attitude is, that if nothing is argued for when it comes to money, those that depend on it, would go through the hassle to get it back. The fact that most people would rather survive on peanuts if they could barely just make it through sanctions imposed prior to October 22nd, then this is the reason for the madness that's causing enough hassle to cause a backlog of people now taking action on benefits that have been sanctioned for using a system that the DWP know has serious flaws if they think it's going to be a system that actually does anything but match users with jobs they search for. To make it mandatory, and sanction people for using it now is laughable. I'm just now 3 days short from not getting a response as to how such a flawed system could be used, which has lead to me being sanctioned. I certainly would not allow 3rd party access to a site which allows for any more stress then what I am forced to put up with when signing on and attending a work programme, without having the pleasure of interacting with employment staff that become more like PPI claims staff looking to make money to cut costs or meet K.P.i targets. OK if doing it, meant having to not go to the work programme or job center to get the hassle in order to claim benefits, then maybe it's worth the hassle, that is once the system that finds jobs using advanced search features, returns nothing but the opposite. All giving a false figure as to what available jobs that there are on the system, that would be matched to my CV. No thanks, I have used it once, and 2 out of 33 jobs would natch my CV, that is 33 reasons why I would rather work on the side through the entire length of a sanction if the way the system finds vacancies does not improve before it is made mandatory.
Dear Frank Zola
Please find attached response to your Internal Review of Freedom of
Information Request - Universal Jobmatch and the Government Gateway
Regards
DWP Digitalisation Programme Support
Dear Frank Zola,
Attached is the response to your Freedom of Information Request -
Universal Jobmatch.
<<4434 Rework 22.02.13 pdf.pdf>> <<Universal Jobmatch Toolkit.pdf>>
Regards,
DWP Digitalisation Programme Support
Carl left an annotation ()
in order to have a UJM account you need and email account, can the jobcentre force you to create an email account? I was just wondering because I told the jobcentre I don't have a phone (Its bad enough dealing with them face to face don't want them ringing me as well) they can not make me get a phone but can they make me get an email address?
Gavin Shaw left an annotation ()
They can create you an email address and password for you to use, but even then JCP Staff have token things to another level entirely when it comes to putting any slightest shred of trust in what they do and say about you at all, so for them to create an email address and password and insist that you use it to find the fake jobs they plant day by day the shiny orange and white colored old JCP DWP Job vacancies website, means uou simply visit the original jobsearch website that's been there all along, just without the fake job ads and additional babysitting features which come bundled at no extra charge :D
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LucyGreen left an annotation ()
How was this request sucessful?