§ Mr. Banksasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the number of jobcentres (a) open on Saturday morning and (b) open all day Saturday, and the total number of job-centres currently operating.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that job-centres do not normally open on Saturdays. There have been, however, occasional Saturday jobcentre openings for specific recruitment campaigns and promotional activities. The total number of jobcentres currently operating is 460.
§ Mr. Banksasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out the guidelines for setting up individual job-centres; and whether cost limits are employed.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that one of its main aims is to modernise the public employment service so as to provide a national network of jobcentres which are located furnished and designed so as to encourage employers and workers to use them, and which provide an acceptable minimum standard of accommodation for the public and for staff. Against this general background each proposal to establish a jobcentre is considered in the light of: (a) the need for a permanent employment office at that location; (b) the suitability of any existing employment office for conversion into a jobcentre on the same site; (c) the cost of replacing any existing employment office by a job-centre on a different site; (d) the likely increase in the number of people placed in jobs as a result of such a replacement.
There is no fixed cost limit, but a decision to set up a jobcentre to replace an existing office is generally taken only if a reduction in the cost per placing is likely to occur.
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§ Mr. Banksasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the net cost to the Exchequer of (a) capital, and (b) running costs of the jobcentres for the last two full years.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the capital costs of jobcentres, viz. purchases and premiums, adaptations—excluding professional fees—and furniture and furnishings, for the financial years 1976–77 and 1977–78 were approximately £5.7 million and £5.3 million respectively. Total jobcentre running costs for 1976–77 are not available but are at present being collated for 1977–78 and I will publish the information in theOfficial Report as soon as possible. However, for 1976 the average annual runing costs for a job-centre, including salaries, premises, marketing and other operating costs, were estimated at £83,000 at 1976–77 prices.