§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will make a statement on the practice of declaring staff in the counselling service surplus to requirements; what plans there are to make the policy uniform throughout the United Kingdom; what is the long-term situation for those staff who have been declared surplus; and what effect this will have on the career structure within the Employment Service;
(2) if he will make a statement on the prospect of redundancies occurring within the Employment Service within the next 12 months;
(3) whether the present treatment of surplus staff in the Glasgow and Tayside and Fife region is a national pilot project;
(4) what plans he has for the enhancement of early retirement within the Employment Service.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from D. B. Price to Mr. Ian Davidson, dated 11 June 1993:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, it is the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the Agency's Chief Executive to answer Parliamentary Questions about relevant operational matters. In his absence, I am replying to your questions to the Secretary of State about:
- —surplus personnel in the Employment Service;
- —what plans exist for redundancies;
- —whether the present treatment of staff in Glasgow and Tayside and Fife is a national pilot and
- —what plans there are for enhancements to early retirement.
Certain aspects of advisory work in the Employment Service are being regraded resulting in a temporary surplus of staff at Executive Officer grade. In common with current policy operated by the Department of Employment every effort will be made to redeploy these and any other staff. This may include offering people throughout the organisation the opportunity to apply for voluntary early retirement on enhanced terms. In the meantime, dependent upon local circumstances, some may be asked to do the work of more junior grades on a temporary basis. The deployment of these people is likely to have the effect of slowing down promotion opportunities in some places. There are no plans currently for redundancies in the Employment Service.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the proposed effect of the Phillips review on the present surplus situation in the Employment Service.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
360WLetter from D. B. Price to Mr. Ian Davidson, dated 11 June 1993:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, it is the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the Agency's Chief Executive to answer Parliamentary Questions about relevant operational matters. In his absence, I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State about the effect of Phillip's Review on surpluses within the Employment Service.The Phillip's review of the Employment Service organisational structure was undertaken to identify ways of sharpening the management of Employment Service performance and further increasing the value for money it achieves in delivering its surpluses, if any, would result from implementing its recommendations.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to Written Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.