§ Mr. David Atkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reviews have been undertaken by his Department on the separation of employment offices from benefit offices; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThese arrangements are primarily a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, and no specific review has been undertaken in this Department. However, the joint Department of Employment and Department of Health and Social Security study of "Payment of Benefits to Unemployed People" (of which the report was published in 1981) looked, inter alia, at the results of the separation of employment and benefit services, found that they had been generally satisfactory, and made no proposals for change in this respect.