Employment Service

EDM number 1353 in 1989-90, proposed by Eddie Loyden on 25/07/1990.

That this House is concerned at changes that are taking place within the employment services, particularly the proposal to close jobcentres and merge these facilities with unemployment benefit offices; considers that the results of this will be a poorer service to claimants, the enhancement of the policing powers of the employment service, a loss of jobs in the Civil Service and to push unemployment into the back streets out of the sight of the rest of the public; notes that these changes mirror those taking place to Restart courses which become compulsory in Autumn 1990; believes that the Restart course (Options) will then be used to compel claimants to go on the discredited Employment Training Scheme, Job Club or take low paid employment, and that the Government once again is shown to be more concerned with concealing unemployment than doing anything to combat it; and supports the efforts of the National Unemployed Centres Combine in its campaigns to defend the rights of claimants and for a political commitment to full employment.

This motion has been signed by a total of 5 MPs.