§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many additional support staff for unemployment benefit adjudication officers have been appointed, following recommendations of the chief adjudication officer's annual report.
§ Mr. LeeThe chief adjudication officer first recommended an increase in support staff for adjudication officers in his annual report for 1984–85. Since the period covered by that report my Department has conducted an internal survey into the organisation of the adjudication service. In the two years since that survey, some 90 additional clerical and secretarial staff have been introduced to support the work of adjudication officers.