§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will appoint an independent committee to appraise the work of the Manpower Services Commission
§ Mr. Jim LesterI have no plans to do so, but I shall be happy to consider any particular aspects of the work of the Manpower Services Commission about which my hon. Friend may be concerned.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the offices and premises occupied by the Manpower Services Commission; what their rateable values are; for how long the commission has occupied them; and whether the previous occupants were in the public sector.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the premises which it occupies are:
277W
688 Jobcentres 323 Employment Offices
27 Employment Rehabilitation Centres 100 Skillcentres and Annexes 195 Administrative Offices, including 34 offices for the Profesional and Executive Recruitment 20 For the Head Office Most of the 1,333 premises are leased. The jobcentres have generally been acquired from the private sector; 21 of the skillcentres and four of the employment rehabilitation centres are purpose-built, the remainder are in industrial premises leased from private organisations.
The administrative offices are generally in premises leased by the Property Services Agency and shared with other departments.
It is not possible to provide the full details required without disproportionate expenditure.