HC Deb 27 January 1982 vol 16 cc869-70
1. Mr. Michael Martin

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has made an estimate of the likely job loss among local authority employees as a result of the cuts in local government finance for the year 1982–83.

The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Malcolm Rifkind)

No, Sir. It is for each local authority to consider its staffing policies in the light of all the resources available to it.

Mr. Martin

Surely with 3 million people unemployed in the United Kingdom—347, 000 in Scotland—the Secretary of State should not be considering making cuts in local government expenditure, thereby causing more unemployment. In view of the recent unemployment figures, should he not tell the Prime Minister that he does not want to be responsible for the misery and suffering that is being experienced in Scotland by the unemployed and be prepared, because of unemployment and cuts in local government in Scotland, to follow the example of the Solicitor-General for Scotland and resign?

Mr. Rifkind

Local authorities know that they can reduce their staff without compulsory redundancies. When the Labour Government called on the Scottish local authorities to reduce their staffing, they claimed that they could make 10, 000 redundancies. They reduced staffing over 18 months by approximately 12, 000, with hardly any compulsory redundancies.

Mr. McQuarrie

I am sure that what my hon. Friend has said is true of Scottish local authorities. Despite any economies which are necessary on the financial side, there are adequate numbers of administrative staff employed in local authorities.

Does my hon. Friend agree that the administrative staff in the overmanned planning, education and other departments of local authorities could be reduced in a manner that would do no harm to the authorities?

Mr. Rifkind

My hon. Friend is correct. It is regrettable that Scottish local authority staffing is still 11, 000 greater than it was in 1977. At the same time, local authorities in England and Wales have managed to reduce their staffing levels, without compulsory redundancies, to the lowest figure since the reorganisation of local government. If it can be done in England and Wales, it can be done in Scotland.

Mr. Home Robertson

How many jobs have been lost as a result of the so-called natural wastage that the Minister has imposed on local authorities? Does the hon. Gentleman accept that such wastage is far from natural and that all it does is to deprive thousands of young people of jobs and the community of urgently needed services?

Mr. Rifkind

If the hon. Gentleman were to consider his remarks for a moment he would realise that one of the significant causes of job losses in his area and elsewhere in Scotland has been excessive rate increases. These have had to be paid by small and large businesses irrespective of their profitability. Therefore, they have had to pay by reducing their manpower.

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