HC Deb 29 January 1968 vol 757 cc864-6
17. Mr. George Jeger

asked the Minister o f Social Security whether she is aware that many offices of her Department in Yorkshire are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday to Friday only; and whether she will arrange for them to be open on Saturday mornings to enable working people to get their individual queries attended to without having to take time off from their work.

Mr. Loughlin

These are the standard opening hours for local offices of the Ministry. It is seldom necessary for people in work to visit the Ministry's offices at all. If my hon. Friend knows of any case where hardship has been caused, I will willingly look into it.

Mr. Jeger

Is it not absurd that public service offices, which have to deal with complicated National Insurance matters, should appear to be working only a 30-hour week, and should be closed in working-class districts, where many of the residents do not understand the forms but require a personal interview'? Will the Minister look into this question and see that the offices are open for at least one hour on a Saturday morning for interviews of this kind?

Mr. Loughlin

I should like to dispel any impression that the staff in the offices are working only a 30-hour week. There is a hor of work to be done in the offices apart from counter work. If there is any clear indication that the present opening hours are not adequate to meet the public need, then we ought to look at the matter. We have no evidence which suggests that. There are very few instances indeed where people are inconvenienced by the present opening hours.

Mr. Bob Brown

Would my hon. Friend agree that the staff of his Department, like other people, are entitled to a five-day week? Having said this, would he not further agree that it would be common sense to have one late opening night, say till 6 o'clock, to give industrial workers the opportunity to make inquiries?

Mr. Loughlin

Our experience is that the few people who need to inquire at the offices in working hours do not have any difficulty. The fact that the offices are open each day in the lunch hour meets this particular problem. If we felt that there was evidence that it was necessary to open on a Saturday we would look at it.