§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Paymaster General (1) if he will list all those Department of Employment offices in which the new work availability test has been introduced;
(2) if he will list for each region and for each Department of Employment office in the region the date at which the new work availability test will be introduced.
§ Mr. Lee[pursuant to his reply, 3 November 1986 at column 329]: The new availability for work test has been introduced at Yeovil, Alloa, Camberley, Farnborough, Erith, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Salisbury, Weymouth, Winton, Devonport, Paignton, Plymouth 'A', 'B' and 'C', Torquay, Redruth, Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Bedlington, Berwick, Blyth, Cramlington, Gosforth, Morpeth, North Shields, Wallsend, West Moor, Whitley Bay, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Hexham, Newcastle 'A' and 'C', Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Dalkeith, Edinburgh 'C' and 'D', Eyemouth, Galashiels, Leith, Loanhead, Musselburgh, Portobello, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Ayr 'B', Cumbernauld, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Canterbury, Gillingham, Ramsgate, Sheerness, Sittingbourne, Aldershot, Epsom, Horsham, Redhill, Weybridge, Woking, Maidenhead, Newbury, Winchester, Dover, Folkestone, Streatham, Tooting 'B', Wimbledon and Dartford unemployment benefit offices.
The test is being introduced progressively in all unemployment benefit offices during the next few months; the dates for individual offices will be determined locally according to resources and other operational issues.