§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the total budget in the current financial year of the Manpower Services Commission compared to the figure for 1974–75; and what increase this represents (a) in direct finance for jobs and (b) in administrative costs.
§ Mr. Golding, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 29th November 1977; Vol. 940, c. 56], gave the following information:
I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the total grant-in-aid for the Manpower Services Commission in 1977–78 compared with 1974–75 is:
1974–75 –£ million 1977–78£ million Operational Expenditure 94.0 449.8 Administration 2.0 17.0 96.0 466.8 Operational expenditure covers the general and special employment services, the training services and the work experience programme of the Manpower Services Commission. Compared with the earlier year, 1977–78 includes an extra six-months expenditure on the employment services—which were not taken over by Manpower Services Commission until 1st October 1974—the operating expenses and key training grants of industrial training boards—payable by the Manpower Services Commission from 1st April 1975—doubling of the number of trainees under the training opportunities programme, special training measures to alleviate the effects of high unemployment and the work experience programme for unemployed young people.
Administrative costs are again not comparable because the Manpower Services Commission began from 1st April 1975 to pay for services previously provided without charge by other Government Departments—premises, costs, rates, stationery and publications, information services, etc—because from 1st April 1976 the Commission was required to 382W pay superannuation, which now represents 19 per cent. addition to the expenditure on salaries and because 1977–78 includes part of the cost of the new Manpower Services Commission head office building in Sheffield.
The costs are those prevailing during 1974–75 and those in force when the 1977–78 estimates were prepared.
In addition, in 1977–78 the Commission expected to spend on behalf of the Department of Employment £53.7 million on the job creation programme, including £0.7 million in administration.