§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received against availability for work tests.
§ Mr. NewtonA number of comments have been made both in correspondence and in the press about the pilot exercise on the initial availability test recently carried out in unemployment benefit offices. The main representations about the test have been made by Lady Lockwood, chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, who is concerned that certain aspects of the test may discriminate against single parents and mothers. A number of representations from other bodies have also been made to the social security advisory committee, which is currently186W considering amending regulations dealing with changes stemming from voluntary registration and the transfer of availability testing from jobcentres to unemployment benefit offices.