§ 26. Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on the progress made in dispersing Civil Service jobs to Scotland.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisAs I told the hon. Member on 24th November 1975, about 6,000 Civil Service posts were dispersed to Scotland between 1963 and October 1975; a further 1,300 posts are due to move within the next few years; and, in addition, 7,000 posts are due to be dispersed to Scotland under the major dispersal programme announced by the Government in July 1974. Planning for those moves is well advanced.
§ Mr. TaylorWill the Minister explain the shameful delay in the programme for transferring 7,000 Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office jobs, bearing in mind that, following a meeting between the Minister of Defence and the Lord Provost of Glasgow over a year ago, it was stated that decisions would be made on sites and detailed plans by July 1975? When will the sites be fixed? More important, when will work start on building offices, bearing in mind that unemployment in West Scotland is now so bad that the area is becoming almost a disaster area?
§ Mr. MorrisThe Government certainly accept concern about unemployment in Scotland, but it is a bit much for the hon. Gentleman to use the phrase "shameful delay". When the Lord President of the Council made a statement on the Hardman Committee recommendations in July 1974 he said that dispersal of the 7,000 jobs to Scotland would occur towards the end of the 10-year period. Understandably, there has been some delay in the negotiations about the identification of a site, but this arises from the range of factors involved and the consultations that have been necessary.
§ Mr. Michael McGuireWill my hon. Friend bear in mind the needs of the North-West? Is he aware that many of my right hon. and hon. Friends think that the North-West has been shabbily treated in the allocation of Civil Service jobs? Will he undertake to consider the needs of Merseyside?
§ Mr. MorrisI shall give serious consideration to the point raised by my hon. Friend. The North-West Development 916 Association has made much the same point to my Department, and, as a Member of Parliament for a North-West constituency, I shall certainly bear in mind the interests of that area.
§ Mr. PattieIs the Minister aware that there is a proposal that civil servants employed by the Directorate of Overseas Surveys should be transferred to Scotland? Will he comment on the suggestion that the "mobile" classification that they have at present might be changed because of the specialised nature of their skills?
§ Mr. MorrisRegrettably, I cannot give any undertaking on the lines suggested at this stage.
§ Mrs. Winifred EwingOn the question of the decentralisation of jobs, as the Government have constantly boasted of encouraging the dispersal of jobs away from the centre, is it not surprising that, according to the recent report of the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) 80 per cent. of jobs have been dispersed within 80 miles of London, and that of the 140,000 non-Government jobs dispersed only 342 have come to Scotland? Does the Minister feel that that represents a successful Government policy of decentralisation?
§ Mr. MorrisUnder the Government's dispersal programme Scotland has done remarkably well in the allocation of Civil Service jobs. Other areas of the country have appreciable unemployment difficulties. The judgments that have to be made by Ministers and Government in this sphere are particularly onerous.
§ Mr. DalyellWould dispersal be affected by the establishment of an Assembly?
§ Mr. MorrisAs I have said previously, devolution would not impinge on Government decisions that have already been made on the Hardman Committee's recommendations.