HC Deb 17 July 1989 vol 157 cc19-20
59. Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants there are in his Department at the current time; how many there were on 3 May, 1979 and 1974, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Luce

There are 944 civil servants within the responsibility of the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service. Of these, 640 are employed in areas which have assumed, or are planning to assume, agency status.

As the office did not come into being until 1 October 1987, there are no previous comparative figures.

Mr. Greenway

Will my right hon. Friend give the overall number for the Civil Service? In so doing, will he note that there are far fewer civil servants now than there were 10 years ago, and will he join me in congratulating the reduced number of civil servants on a greatly improved output of work? Does this not show that we did not need a vast army of civil servants to run this country and never shall?

Mr. Luce

My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the size of the Civil Service, which has been reduced by 21 per cent. in the last decade. He is also right to draw attention to the fact that we now have not only a slimmed down Civil Service but a highly professional service, which does an outstanding job in advising the Government of the day.