§ Mr. Gowasked the Secretary of State for Industry, in view of the fact that the proportion of people over the age of 65 years living in Eastbourne and in the Eastbourne parliamentary constituency has been increasing steadily in recent years and that that proportion is exceeded in one other constituency only, namely Worthing, if he will take steps to provide additional employment in the Eastbourne area so as to reduce the increased and increasing population imbalance.
§ Mr. Gregor MackenzieI agree that additional employment would be desirable but we have to give priority to the needs of the assisted areas where unemployment rates are much higher.
TABLE Government Department Agency Service Revenue Department of Health and Social Security. Issue of national insurance pensions and stamps. Payment of family allowances. Payment of supplementary benefits. Special operations: the payment of Christmas bonuses and the issue of beef tokens for pensioners £57,686,000 Department of National Savings. Handling in-and out-payments for Savings Bank ordinary and investment accounts. Administration of National Savings Stock Register. Purchase, repayment, prize money payments in respect of premium bonds. Issue and handling of National Saving certificates and stamps £21,895,000 Home Office. Issue of television licences. Television licence enforcement (including the maintenance of computerised record system of TV sales and licences) £10,952,000 Ministry of Defence. Payment of service pensions and allowances £1,975,000 Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Issue of British visitor's short-term passports £1,077,000 Other Agencies and minor services. Issue of road, dog and gun licences, land registration duty, stamps for tax revenue, etc *£6,148,000 * This figure includes some revenue accrued from limited agency activities undertaken for local authorities. Post Office financial results by services and details of Agency Service balances are shown respectively in supplementary statements B(S)1, page 85 and B(S)5, page 90 of the Post Office Report and Accounts 1974–75, copies of which have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The arrangement for counter services is broadly based on cost sharing, with adjustments to provide an incentive to efficiency; and a service fee of 4 per cent is added to Departments' share of costs.