§ 31. Mr. Oliverasked the Minister of Labour whether he will give further consideration to the accommodation at the employment exchange at Ripley, Derbyshire, in view of the need to give a much longer period for the payment of benefits to avoid long queues in the street and secure more privacy at the counter.
§ Mr. WhitelawMy right hon. Friend is satisfied that the accommodation and arrangements for the payment of unemployment benefit at the part-time local office at Ripley, Derbyshire, are adequate to deal with the normal volume of public business and that reasonable privacy is provided.
§ Mr. OliverPerhaps the hon. Gentleman will ask his right hon. Friend how he knows that the time for payment is adequate. If the extension of the time for payment would enable more people to be attended to instead of their having to stand in the rain when the weather is bad, the local complaints are justifiable and should be looked into to.
§ Mr. WhitelawOne must accept that during the early months of this year when there was a substantial increase in the numbers temporarily suspended there were some delays. These people are now back at work and we feel that the arrangements at the local office at Ripley are adequate to deal with the present register. If necessary at any time in the future, the hours of opening of the local office will be extended.