HC Deb 31 July 1981 vol 9 c680W
Mr. Charles R. Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will reconvene the inquiry into the status of registration officers abandoned in 1975 and publish the report of the inquiry up to the time of abandonment.

Sir George Young

In 1975 it was decided that there should be a ministerial review of the status of registration officers. As a first stage, an interdepartmental working group on the status of registration officers was created and this group reported in December 1976. Ministers who studied the report came to the conclusion that in view of the financial stringency of the time the expenditure involved in setting up a new registration system on the lines then proposed could not be justified. The review was, therefore, suspended until a more favourable time and the trade unions involved were so advised. There are no immediate plans to proceed further with the review, nor is it proposed to publish the report of the working group.