§ Mr. Ian McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment with whom she has consulted 67W regarding the suitability of open plan arrangements in jobcentres with respect to the safety of Employment Service staff. [10283]
§ Mr. ForthResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from R. D. Horne to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 13 January 1997:
The Secretary of State has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to reply to your question about who has been consulted regarding the suitability of open plan arrangements in Jobcentres.Jobcentres operated by the Employment Service and its predecessors have always been open plan since their inception in the early 1970s. From the mid-1980s a programme, with staff agreement, to convert to open plan layouts in Unemployment Benefit Offices was in progress.Our new integrated Jobcentres, combining the two services, retained an open plan layout because it provided a much more effective and pleasant environment for delivering our services. These require interviews with jobseekers that involve sensitive discussions about their personal circumstances and requirements. Space Planning experts and design consultants were employed to help plan the interior layouts, which have since been subject to thorough risk assessments designed to reduce the risk to the safety of our people to a minimum after the introducation of the Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). The assessments conducted by competent assessors were undertaken in all Jobcentres during 1996. A further round of assessments is planned for 1997 when we have sufficient experience of operating JSA.I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what factors underlay the decision by Employment Service management on 1 October to appeal against the issue of a Crown notice of improvement to the Employment Service following an assault at the Camberwell jobcentre. [10282]
§ Mr. ForthResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from R. D. Horne to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 13 January 1997:
The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to reply to your question about the Employment Service response to the issue of a Crown Notice following an assault at Camberwell Jobcentre.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) informed us of their intention to issue a Crown Notice and invited our comments. Our officials met with theirs and provided further information and evidence to clarify the issues raised by HSE. Following this meeting and a further exchange of correspondence we were informed by HSE that they no longer intended to proceed with the issue of a Crown Notice.I hope that this is helpful.