§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the construction costs and the estimated annual running costs of the jobcentre recently opened in Lowfield Street, Dartford.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission, which is responsible for the public employment services, that it plans to open a jobcentre in Lowfield Street, Dartford in January 1980. The cost, including professional fees, of adapting the building for use as a jobcentre is estimated at £63,000. The estimated annual operating costs, at current prices, of the jobcentre in Dartford are £94,000. The MSC expects that for this new jobcentre, as for jobcentres generally, the unit costs of placings will be reduced.
§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobcentres have been opened to date.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that up to 28 November 1979 a total of 615 jobcentres had been opened.
§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff are employed in all jobcentres; and how many of these had previously worked in Department of Health and Social Services offices serving in a similar area of work.
§ Mr. Jim LesterOn 1 November 1979 there were 11,191 staff in post in the local offices of the employment service division of the Manpower Services Commission. 7,494 of them were working in jobcentres as opposed to older style employment offices.
201WInformation is not available except at disproportionate cost on how many of these staff previously worked in the Department of Health and Social Security. There are no similar areas of work between offices of that Department and jobcentres.
§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the construction costs and the annual running costs of all jobcentres opened to date.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission, which is responsible for the public employment service, that information in the form requested is available only at disproportionate cost, but the following information may be helpful.
Between 1 April 1975 and 31 September 1979, 523 jobcentres were opened. In the same period expenditure on construction and adaptation work, including professional fees, amounted to £17.5 million. The annual operating costs of an average jobcentre with between 11 and 19 staff in 1978–79 amounted to £85,375.