§ 7. Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed in Scotland in non-manual jobs in the public sector at the latest date for which figures are available; and how these figures compare with those for May 1979.
§ Mr. YoungerThere are no comprehensive estimates on this basis. The available estimates are complex and I will arrange for them to be published in the Official Report. They show a reduction of 6.6 per cent. in Civil Service non-industrial staff and increases of 2.5 per cent. in local authority non-manual staff and of 7.5 per cent. in National Health Service staff.
§ Mr. ClarkeIn view of the many jobs that were lost in the private sector because of the large number of 1286 bankruptcies, why do not the Government give the public sector the importance that it deserves? Why are they ashamed about building more homes, hospitals and schools? What happened to the Civil Service jobs that we were promised for Scotland in 1979?
§ Mr. YoungerThe Government have almost fulfilled their undertaking to bring 2,000 Civil Service jobs to the west of Scotland—I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will welcome that as warmly as I do—and the programme is on stream. As to the balance between public and private jobs, the hon. Gentleman must agree that the money to pay for public sector jobs comes from the private sector. If I tried to make up any losses in the private sector by increasing those in the public sector, I would simply put an even heavier burden on the remaining private sector jobs, which would have a disastrous effect on the Scottish economy.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythDoes my right hon. Friend agree that those figures give the lie to the views expressed by Opposition Members that there have been cuts in local government and the National Health Service? Instead, there has been expansion, and the bankruptcies to which the hon. Gentleman referred have been caused by those excesses in the public sector.
§ Mr. YoungerOn this occasion I share my hon. Friend's astonishment. We are invited to believe by Opposition Members that virtually all local authority services have been slashed beyond recognition, yet the figures show that there has been an increase in staff of 2.5 per cent. We are also invited to believe that the Health Service has been practically destroyed by the Government, when it is clear from the figures that we are employing 7.5 per cent. more people to run it, most of whom are doctors and nurses.
§ Mr. MaxtonWhen will the Secretary of State learn that thousand of jobs in the private sector depend on public sector expenditure?
§ Mr. YoungerThey depend on each other. But my point still stands. If I were to place extra taxation and burdens on the remaining private sector to increase public sector jobs still further, that would be just about the most disastrous thing that I could do to the Scottish economy, apart from the appointment of another Labour Government.
§ Following is the information:
| Full-time Equivalent Employees in Scotland | ||
| 1979 | *1984 | |
| Civil Service non-industrial staff at April | 52,127 | 48,670 |
| Local Authority non-manual staff at June | 148,800 | 152,500 |
| National Health Service: all staff at March | 114,473 | 123,028 |
| * Provisional. |