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Unprocessed dole claims increase by 227% in local area- Rennie
November 20, 2008 3:00 PM
Dunfermline and West Fife MP Willie Rennie has revealed that the number of unprocessed Jobseeker's Allowance claims in Clyde and Fife have increased by 227% since 2007.
Mr Rennie has released the figures after concerns were raised that JobCentre Plus were struggling to cope with increasing unemployment. At the present up to 141 jobs are being lost in Scotland everyday. Despite the increase in unemployment, the Government has closed 41 jobcentres across the country with over 17,000 full-time Jobcentre Plus jobs having been cut over the last four years.
Commenting, Mr Rennie said:
"These are the first warning signs that the JobCentre Plus network is buckling under the weight of increasing unemployment.
"Ministers have left JobCentres short-staffed and ill-prepared for a recession.
"Since the beginning of this economic crisis, hundreds of people have been laid off across Fife and for many of them the Jobseeker's allowance is all they have to live on. Jobcentre delays must not hold up this vital lifeline.
"The Government must stop any more planned JobCentre Plus closures in Scotland, call an immediate halt to staff cuts and recruit more staff for JobCentre Plus as a matter of urgency."
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