§ Mr. Nealeasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the future operation of the professional and executive recruitment service.
§ Mr. TebbitI have given careful consideration to the future of the professional and executive recruitment service operated by the Manpower Services Commission in the light of the report on the service published by it today, and its views on that report.
The great improvement in efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the service since the introduction of "executive post" last year is to be welcomed. As a 456W consequence of this improvement the cost of the placing service as such is now covered by the fees charged to employers.
The ending in October 1982 of the compulsory registration for unemployment benefit is expected to enable substantial savings to be made in other costs, and I am asking the commission to consider whether the service could be put onto a wholly self-financing basis by bringing advisory and supportive work at this level to the standard which is available to unemployed people generally.
I also welcome the commission's intention to review, after a year's experience of voluntary registration, the possibilities of integration with the general Jobcentre network, and am asking it then to consider also the case for privatisation.