§ 70. Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the current total of industrial and non-industrial civil servants employed by the Government.
§ Mr. ChannonI refer the hon. Member to the answer I have just given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman).
§ Mr. WrigglesworthIs the Minister aware that his reply to the question on cuts in Civil Service manpower was totally unsatisfactory? How can he say that the Government's target of cutting 110,000 Civil Service jobs will not affect unemployment? Is it not sick news for the 179,000 young people on the unemployment register that those job opportunities are not available to them when they leave school?
§ Mr. ChannonThe hon. Member has once again outlined the clear difference that exists between him and me on this issue. I believe that the future prosperity of this country depends on our creating real jobs in the private, wealth-producing sector. It does not depend on the artificial creation of unnecessary jobs in the public sector.