§ 27. Mr. Stodartasked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he took to find staff to man the Regimental Pay Office in Edinburgh, so as to avoid its closure.
§ Mr. BoydenNone Sir.
§ Mr. StodartDoes the hon. Gentleman recall the remarkable proposition he put in a recent letter to me that there was not sufficient expertise in Scotland to man this office? Is he aware that representatives of the Civil Service have said that there is a nucleus available of 35 men with records experience and 80 with experience in pay offices? What is wrong with that?
§ Mr. BoydenIt is the relocation of pay and records offices that is the point of the reorganisation. If the Conservative Government had not closed the records office at Perth in 1964, there might have been enough people available but there are not now.
§ Mr. R. W. ElliottIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there is great irritation in the development areas at the Government's failure to choose them for the establishment of these offices? So far, only one development area has been chosen for such an office. This is at Exeter, where the unemployment rate is half that of the North-East of England, where we have excellent computer training services.
§ Mr. BoydenThere are many other factors to take into account than regional policy. In relation to broad regional policy, in the saving of 900 jobs through the reorganisation, 800 will come from London and the South-East, which will be a substantial contribution to regional policy in general.