§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what, if any, reductions in staff directly involved in the training, rehabilitation or employment of disabled people have taken place or are proposed in the Employment Service Agency and the Training Services Agency.
§ Mr. John GrantI am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that there have been no reductions in staff in the Training Services Agency to date.
There are no plans to reduce the number of staff directly involved with the training of disabled people.
There have been no reductions in the staff directly involved in the rehabilitation of disabled people and none is planned. Indeed, staff have been increased by a total of 25 in the last two years and further increases of 126 are planned by the end of March 1978 including a substantial number for a new residential Employment Rehabilitation Centre at Preston.
The number of disablement resettlement officers has been increased by nine over the past year and further increases are under consideration. The Agency is 174W senior disablement resettlement officers (SDROs) actually in post for the dates required is not available, but the table below sets out the position at the three most relevant dates for which information is available.
reviewing the level of support staff for DROs in the light of changing patterns of client usage in employment offices and the developing network of jobcentres.
Work on behalf of disabled people will remain a major priority within the activities of the ESA.