§ 35. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Minister for the Civil Service what diminution in personnel he has achieved, and at what public saving, from 1st July, 1970, to 30th June, 1971 ; and whether he will now make a statement on further reductions contemplated in the year to 30th June, 1972 and the consequential monetary economy.
§ 43. Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister for the Civil Service what further results he has achieved in reducing the number of civil servants.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Civil Service Department (Mr. David Howell)The numbers of non-industrial civil servants have remained fairly steady since the beginning of the year but fluctuations in the figures are bound to occur from quarter to quarter. The numbers of industrials have continued to fall. As to the future, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Nott) on 28th May.—[Vol. 818, c. 238–40.]
§ Siir G. NabarroHas my hon. Friend failed to remember that 13 months ago today I stood on election platforms on the eve of the poll promising, in consonance with my party's policy, a drastic curtailment of the bureaucracy? As the Minister responsible for the bureaucracy is proving to be such a dismal failure, will my hon. Friend prevail upon his colleagues to alter their policies and secure the reduction of 50,000 civil servants which is urgently needed?
§ Mr. HowellThe 50,000 reduction which my hon. Friend promises is his own affair. It was made on his own platform. I do not think he could have heard what I said. I said that there has been a curtailment in the growth of the Civil Service. I hope that he will welcome the sharp cut in the enormous rise in the Civil Service which we inherited from our predecessors. As to the future, the Government share my hon. Friend's wish that there should be a diminution in the numbers in the overloaded central administration area and the sensible delegation of management tasks. We have made a start on this 490 matter by setting up the procurement executive, for example.
Mr. J. T. PriceThe House will be deeply grieved by the disappointing reply to the Question of the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Sir G. Nabarro) about the failure of the Government to honour their election pledge to reduce the Civil Service, as has happened with many of their other pledges, but is he aware that the Government's proposals on the Common Market will obviously have the effect of increasing the Civil Service by the necessity of having to set up a vast bureaucracy to administer the value-added tax? Is the hon. Gentleman trying to persuade the House that the Government have any policy for trimming the Civil Service or reducing the cost of living or doing any of the things that they were pledged to do when they were returned on a false election manifesto last June?
§ Mr. HowellThe question of the Civil Service in relation to the Common Market is next on the Order Paper. I had better deal with it when we reach that Question.