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Departmental Offices (Efficiency)

Volume 977: debated on Monday 21 January 1980

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asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the operation of his Department's offices, in the light of the fact that only one in 300 claims for unemployment benefit is rejected on the basis that suitable work opportunities are available.

I am generally satisfied with the operation of my Department's offices and consider that the rules for disqualifying claimants who do not avail themselves of suitable employment are adequate. However, I am conscious that such arrangements need review from time to time. Accordingly, as I said in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Lyell) on 4 December, I have ordered officials of this Department to work with officials of the Manpower Services Commission employment services division to consider as a matter of priority those aspects of liaison which concern the application of the rules about the unemployed accepting jobs which are suitable and available.—[Vol. 975, c. 118.]