YORK MP Hugh Bayley will ask a Government minister to explain why millions of pounds were invested in a Pensions Agency base in York only for it to be closed down three years later.

He hopes that an emergency debate to be held at the House of Commons on Tuesday will answer why the Department for Work and Pensions office in Monks Cross will soon be closed, putting more than 300 jobs at risk.

Mr Bayley, who met with staff earlier this week, said he is continuing his efforts to get them transferred to other Government areas and for more civil service jobs to be moved to North Yorkshire.

The Evening Press revealed last week how the purpose-built offices would be closed next March as part of a country-wide move to shed 40,000 civil service jobs.

Tory MP John Greenway, whose Ryedale constituency reaches in to the York out-of-town shopping and office complex, said although every effort would be made to redeploy staff, there were no guaranteed jobs.

Mr Bayley said: "The Government has miscalculated how many staff it would need to run the pensions system and it needs to learn lessons from that.

"It needs to do that firstly for the staff whose livelihood has been put at risk and secondly from a tax payer's point of view, the Government needs to get these things right.

"When I met the staff they raised their concerns and while they realise this debate won't save their jobs, they all want to know what is going on."

Updated: 10:51 Thursday, July 08, 2004