Department of Work and Pension bosses used Google to check how much further claimants will have to travel before pushing on with job centre closure plans.
The SNP made the claim after a meeting with management over the controversial proposals to shut eight of the 16 job centres in Glasgow.
MPs said it raises questions about how much research was carried out on the impact on people in some of the poorest parts of the city.
It comes days after DWP manager Denise Horsfall said she expects claimants in three areas to complain about “unreasonable” extra travel demands .
Closures at Maryhill, Castlemilk and Bridgeton will leave people up to four miles from another centre.
MP Patrick Grady, who organised the meeting at the Laurieston job centre on Friday, said: “The response from senior Jobcentre staff to our concerns was disappointing and they were unable to explain why the public, the Scottish Government , elected representatives, and interested organisations had to find out about the plans from the press.
“We have no idea what criteria was used to decide whether to close one Jobcentre over another. It seems a local equality impact assessment will only take place after the consultation period.
“The so-called public consultation has already started but little effort has been made to raise awareness, and it will finish in January – leaving only a few weeks over the busy Christmas period for responses to be submitted.
“It was even revealed staff had used Google maps to calculate the additional travel time to the next Jobcentre – which hardly inspires confidence that these proposals have been properly thought through.”
The plan, revealed by the Record last week , sparked outrage among support groups.
Some of the closure-hit sites are as much as four miles from another Jobcentre, with travel times between 10 and 40 minutes.
DWP guidance says there must be reasonable provision in place if the nearest other centre is three miles or 20 minutes away.
Article originally published by the Daily Record.
