§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a list of all Employment Service offices indicating those which(a) will be using the services of the professional executive services team in 1995–96 and (b) need its services in 1994–95 and, in the case of each office, the estimate made of the number of unemployed people for whom these services would be useful.
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility 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 R. M. Phillips to Mr. John Denham, dated 13 March 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to reply to your question asking for a list of all Employment Service (ES) offices, together with information on the Professional Executive Services Team.The ES has over 1,350 offices throughout the country and to list them would not be practical. I have however provided details of the offices involved with the Professional and Executive Services Team which I trust you will find useful.The Professional and Executive Services Team offers specialist advice to executive level jobseekers on jobsearch activities. It was created at a time of rising unemployment to help unemployed executives in Hampshire and Isle of Wight. It was a local initiative in response to a rise in the number of unemployed executives in the area. Under this initiative executives were offered a half-day seminar on jobsearch techniques and an opportunity to include their pen picture in an occasional brochure which was distributed to local employers.With falling unemployment, the provision of this service has been reviewed and it will remain available during the coming operational year within the ES Portsmouth District. This District covers ES Jobcentres at Portsmouth, Newport, Ryde, Shanklin, Cosham, and Havant.During the current operational year these services have also been available within three other ES Districts; Southampton, Fareham, Winchester and Portsmouth. These Districts cover ES Jobcentres at Andover, Basingstoke, Petersfield, Winchester, Hythe, Lymington, Southampton, Woolston, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport.Specialist services to unemployed executives will continue throughout the ES with Executive Jobclubs and Executive Job Search Seminar programmes.While it is difficult to predict the future level of success of the scheme, I can advise that approximately 20 vacancies were taken by the Professional and Executive Service Team in Southampton between April 1994 and January.I hope this is helpful.