HC Deb 21 December 1982 vol 34 cc486-7W
Mr. Craigen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take into account in his Department's staffing levels the amount of staff time involved in advising claimants over the postal claims forms for the unemployed claimants.

Mr. Newton

The need some claimants will have for help in completing the postal claim form for supplementary benefit has been taken into account in calculating the manpower saving arising from the introduction of the form.

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for the Leeds office of his Department, what was the number of supplementary benefit staff in post on 1 October 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.

Mr. Newton

There are five local offices in Leeds and the required information in respect of each office is as follows:

Mr. Woolmer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, for the Dewsbury office of his Department, what was the number of supplementary benefit staff in post on 1 October 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.

Mr. Newton

The information requested is as follows:

Dewsbury
1 October 1979 85
1 October 1980 91
1 October 1981 97
1 October 1982 103

Information on staff in post is not generally split between the supplementary benefit and contributory benefit sides of the work. The figures given are for the complement, that is the number of staff allocated to cope with the workloads then current.

I draw the hon. Member's attention to the guide to the Department's local office complementing system, now in the Library, which explains the complex relationship between staffing levels and workloads.

Mr. Alfred Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how current manpower levels in his Department compare with its allocated manpower targets for 1982–83.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

The departmental staff in post target for 1 April 1983 is 95,213. On 1 November 1982, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of staff in post amounted to 94,746.

Mr. Alfred Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the rate of recruitment of staff to local offices is sufficient to meet his assessment of manpower requirements.

Mr. Newton

Generally, yes, but we are always seeking to improve the speed of our recruitment procedures.