HL Deb 05 March 1975 vol 357 cc1247-8
Lord INGLEWOOD

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total number of nonindustrial staff employed by local authorities at the latest convenient date; how this compares with the numbers employed in March 1972; and what was the approximate number of unfilled vacancies within the establishments of local authorities at both dates.

The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Baroness Birk)

My Lords, figures regularly collected do not separately identify local government industrial and non-industrial employees. But a manpower survey carried out in December 1972 by the Local Government Training Board showed 525,000 non-industrial staff employed in England and Wales, excluding teachers, firemen and police. More recent information is not available, but, after allowing for transfer of staff on the reorganisation concerning water and the National Health Service, I would expect the present figure to be lower. Information about unfilled vacancies is not available.

Lord INGLEWOOD

My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness whether she can give me an Answer if I did not distinguish between non-industrial and industrial staff, and if I were to put down for answer a Question covering the whole area?

Baroness BIRK

My Lords, I can tell the noble Lord in the meantime that the total number of local authorities staff for England and Wales at June 1974 was 2,440,000, and for Great Britain 2,696,000.

Lord INGLEWOOD

My Lords, can we have the figures for about two years ago, so that we have some comparison with the figures before and after local government reorganisation?

Baroness BIRK

Yes, my Lords, if the noble Lord will let me write to him and can give me prior notice of his requirements.