§ 59. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of post-mental health patients was employed by her Department at the latest convenient date for which she has details; and how these figures compare with those of the previous five years, respectively.
§ Mr. MeacherThe Department does not keep a record of the number of employees who have been hospital in-patients for any reason.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many extra staff have been employed to launch the interim child benefit for one-parent families; and in which office block they are to be accommodated.
§ Mr. MeacherChild interim benefit becomes payable from April 1976. To date no staff have been recruited for this work, but as from January 1976 about 60 extra posts will be needed at the Department's Central Office at Blackpool. In addition it is estimated that for the period January to March 1976 the equivalent of some 500 staff will be needed temporarily in local offices.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many extra public relations and information officers have been recruited each year by her Department since 1973; and what is the extra annual cost.
§ Mr. MeacherTwo extra information officer posts for work in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and the Occupational Pensions Board were introduced in 1973; the latter post will lapse at the end of 1975.
105WIn 1973 regional reorganisation of the method for providing information to the news media resulted in the appointment of the approximate equivalent of six additional officers in DHSS social security regions. The extra annual cost of the additions is of the order of £75,000.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unfilled vacancies there are in her Department (a) in total, (b) at the London headquarters, (c) at each other central headquarters, and (d) in all other Department of Health and Social Services offices around the country for the latest available date.
§ Mr. MeacherThe total number of vacancies in DHSS at 1st October 1975 were approximately:
London Headquarters 160 Blackpool Central Office 70 Newcastle Central Office 150 Elsewhere 900 Total 1,280