§ 7. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total annual cost in rent and rates of his Department's jobcentres, at the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe total annual costs of rents and rates for the regional, area and local offices of the employment division of the Manpower Services Commission was £16—1 Million in 1981–82, the latest full year for which figures are available. Of this, £13 million was the cost of the local offices.
§ Mr. AdleyIs the figure that was given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State in reply to the first question today — that three times as many jobs are available through private sector agencies as through jobcentres—an accurate national figure? If so, why? Is the taxpayer getting value for money from the jobcentres? Will my hon. Friend say something about the success or otherwise of the recent Saturday opening experiment?
§ Mr. MorrisonThe answer to my hon. Friend's first point, is yes.
721 The answer to his second point, is that we want as effective a jobcentre network as is possible which is cost-effective to the taxpayer.
The answer to my hon. Friend's third point, is that it appears that the experimental Saturday opening of jobcentres has been successful. I regret that there have been demonstrations outside some of them which have stopped the unemployed from going to look for jobs.
§ Mr. DouglasWill the Minister give a complete assurance that there will be a continuance of those excellent facilities and that we should resist the privatisation of that essential service?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am delighted to hear that the hon. Gentleman is assuming that the Government will be returned at the next general election — [AN HON. MEMBER: "Grow up."]—It is not a matter of growing up. It was the assumption behind the hon. Gentleman's question. I assure the hon. Gentleman that the Government believe in the public employment service.