§ Mr. CrowtherTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many assaults on members of employment service staff were reported in(a) 1988 and (b) the first nine months of 1989.
§ Mr. EggarIn 1988 the number of reported physical assaults on employment service staff was 65. There were also 212 reported incidents of threatening behaviour or verbal abuse. The figures for the first nine months of 1989 are 107 and 711 respectively. A direct comparison of the two periods is misleading since in September 1988 the reporting system was improved and the definition of an assault was broadened.