§ 53. Mr. ChapmanTo ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will give the latest number of secondments between the Civil Service and industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Privy Council Office (Mr. Richard Luce)A significant number of serving civil servants now have experience in the private sector as a result of secondments. There were nearly 500 secondments of three months or more between the Civil Service and industry in 1987. I hope that the recent White Paper on releasing enterprise will continue this process.
§ Mr. ChapmanI very much welcome the increased number of secondments between the Civil Service and industry. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the numbers are still too few? Given the understandable 16 practical difficulties that can exist, will he take further initiatives to encourage part-time secondments between industry and the Civil Service, and encourage civil servants to take non-executive directorships in businesses, to the mutual benefit both of business and of the Civil Service?
§ Mr. LuceI agree with my hon. Friend, who has taken a close interest in these matters for some time. The answer to the problem does not lie in one solution; for example, simply in two-year secondments between the private sector and business, which is already doing well. The answer lies in a number of solutions, including short-term loans, Whitehall and industry schemes and part-time executives, of which there are 45 at the moment. The answer lies in a package of means whereby there can be a greater interchange between the private sector and the Civil Service.