§ 13. Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now take steps to increase the Professional Executive Recruitment Service in Scotland.
§ Mr. John FraserI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that no immediate increases are contemplated, but the needs of the service are being kept under close review.
§ Mr. SteelWill the Minister confirm that local authorities are not obliged to use this service? Does he not think that it would be good if they did so, in view of the reorganisation of local Government?
§ Mr. FraserI have discussed this matter with the PER. I hope that local authorities will make use of the service. I am sure that the PER will do everything 1095 possible to encourage notification of vacancies from local authorities.
§ Sir P. BryanClients of PER obtain the services of PER below cost. The PER is subsidised to the tune of about £600,000 a year. Do foreign clients receive a subsidised service? For instance, I have seen PER advertisements in the Sunday Times for jobs in Saudi Arabia and South Africa to the tune of £13,000 a year. Do those foreign clients receive the subsidised service or do they pay the true cost?
§ Mr. FraserThe aim of the PER is to be self-financing, apart from payments from the Government for the social cost of the scheme. The PER is now moving towards the self-financing target. The advertising of foreign vacancies will to that small extent be subsidised. I am glad to see that PER is competing with private agencies, and long may it do so.