§ Mr. Forresterasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average waiting time for placement by registrants with the Professional and Executive Register in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent.
§ Mr. John FraserIt is not possible to quote an average time as this varies greatly according to the supply and demand position and to individual circumstances.
§ Mr. Forresterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the Professional and Executive Register is fulfilling the purpose for which it was established; and if he has any plans for expansion or other alterations.
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§ Mr. John FraserYes. PER in its first year of operation has been well received, and has been increasingly used by both employers and those seeking appointments. No fundamental changes are envisaged, but improvement, development and expansion are the continuing aims.
§ Mr. Forresterasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many professional and executive registrants have been placed, broken down by years, and what approximate percentage this is of the total United Kingdom executive placements.
§ Mr. John FraserPlacings by PER in its first year of operation totalled 8,064. There are no strictly comparable figures for earlier years, but the placings figures of the old P & E service for the five years up to the end of 1972 are as follows:
1972 … … … … 10,153 1971 … … … … 12,359 1970 … … … … 12,704 1969 … … … … 11,624 1968 … … … … 10,608 There is no reliable information on the total annual number of United Kingdom executive placements, but it is estimated that PER placings account for roughly 5 per cent. of all such engagements.
§ Mr. Forresterasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total annual cost of the Professional and Executive Register broken down for each year of its existence; and what were the total fees received from employers.
§ Mr. John FraserThe estimated cost of PER in its first year of operation is £2,580,000. Fee paying, although introduced on 1st June 1973, did not become fully operative until 1st November 1973. To date income from fees is £696,000, and is currently running at an annual rate of £l.2 million.