§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average delay between (a) his Department receiving an application for temporary employment subsidy, (b) the firm being visited by an officer of his Department and (c) a decision being taken whether or not to approve the application.
§ Mr. GoldingThe time taken to process an application depends upon the nature of the particular case and the pressure of work at the regional office dealing with it. The average time needed to clear preliminary inquiries before the visit is made is about six weeks. Decisions follow within about one week of the visit.