§ 16. Mr. Hoosonasked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in reducing the staff of the Welsh Office since May 1979; and how much reduction has been achieved, both absolutely and in percentage terms, in numbers in Welsh local government over the same period.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsBetween April 1979 and March 1984, the number of Welsh Office staff has been reduced from 2,613 to 2,185, a reduction of 16.3 per cent. This compares with a fall of 4.8 per cent. in the local government sector, where manpower, excluding the law and order services, has declined, in full-time equivalent terms, from about 119,800 in June 1979 to about 114,000 at December 1983, the latest date for which information is available.
§ Mr. HoosonWhile I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his very good progress with the Welsh Office, is it not time to call a conference with the Association of Welsh Authorities to review the very disappointing progress on its side of the picture?
§ Mr. EdwardsI do not think that it is necessary to call a special conference, because I discuss this matter with the Welsh local authorities at my regular meetings with them. They must understand that, if they had been able to make even quite modest reductions over and above what has been achieved, there would be substantially lower rate burdens than there now are.