§ 26. Mr. Moonmanasked the Minister of Labour what was the operating cost for the Professional and Executive Register in 1965 and 1966.
§ Mr. GunterThe total cost, including all overhead expenses, was about £475,000 in 1965 and about £575,000 in 1966.
§ Mr. MoonmanIn view of the figures, would my right hon. Friend now say what steps he is taking to make the service really competitive with the rather efficient agencies that operate in private industry?
§ Mr. GunterWe are spending a great deal of time and energy on improving the Professional and Executive Register, and a lot of improvement has already taken place. We shall continue to do the same thing.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinWhy has the cost gone up by over 20 per cent., one year upon the other?
§ Mr. GunterThere was a salary increase at the beginning of 1966, and we have spent a lot on advertising and drawing the attention of firms to the service.
§ 27. Mr. Moonmanasked the Minister of Labour how many people applied for assistance to the Professional and Executive Register in 1965 and 1966, and up to the date at which figures are available in 1967; how many were offered work; and what was the total number who eventually accepted employment.
§ Mr. GunterForty-four thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight people registered for employment during the 12 months ending 1st December, 1965, 51,049 in the 12 months ending 1st December, 1966, and 14,238 in the three months ending 8th March, 1967. No figures can be given of offers of work. Placings in employment during these periods numbered, respectively, 7,860, 7,900 and 1,969.
§ Mr. MoonmanWould my right hon. Friend agree that while many people on the Register appreciate the enormous work done by the Ministry there is room for improvement? Would he give attention to the ways in which that can be done on the basis of the figures he has submitted?
§ Mr. GunterI can assure my hon. Friend that we shall do everything to improve it. If he has particular ideas about it, I hope that he will communicate with me.
§ 61. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Minister of Labour whether he will submit names of those registered with the Professional and Executive Register to private employment agencies where they may have vacancies which they cannot fill.
§ Mr. GunterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. LewisWould it not be better for the Professional and Executive Register to co-operate with private agencies so that people could get jobs, rather than that the Register should exist in splendid isolation and provide no jobs?
§ Mr. GunterThe hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that there is a difference in the patterns, conduct and abilities of different agencies. It would be very dangerous to allow public resources to be used over the whole range of these agencies. We would have to discriminate.