§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals have been made for restructuring the jobcentre network.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonProposals for the development of the employment service were published last month following a period of public consultation. A copy of the full proposals was placed in the Library. Hon. Members were sent details of how the proposals affected their constituencies.
The proposals aim to make jobcentres more accessible to jobseekers by opening 82 jobcentres in new locations, thus increasing the overall number of jobcentres to 1,065. The proposals also provide for substantial investment in new technology in jobcentres both to improve job vacancy handling and to help staff in providing information and advice. Efficiency will be further improved by the limited centralisation of some specialist services. These changes would reduce the cost of the service by about £8 million a year by 1989.
The Manpower Services Commission hopes to reach final decisions on these proposals shortly.