§ Mr. McBrideasked the Secretary of State for Wales if, after taking account of paragraph 2, page viii, of the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum of the Housing Finance Bill, and the need to engage extra staff to serve on rent assessment panels, he will now state what estimate has been made by the Welsh Office of the number of additional rent officers required in Wales.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThe present complement is 21 rent officers, eight of whom work part time. I do not anticipate an ultimate increase in this complement of more than the equivalent of five full-time rent officers.
§ Mr. McBrideasked the Secretary of State for Wales if, taking account of the terms of paragraph I, page viii, of the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum of the Housing Finance Bill, he will give an estimate of the increase in Civil Service staff at the Welsh Office, required to serve the rent assessment panels; what will be the length of their initial period of service; and what the numbers of staff permanently engaged to serve in the above capacity will be.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThe estimated increase in rent assessment panel staffs in40W Wales is 14. After about 18 months this should fall to 10, leaving a total permanent staff of 19.
§ Mr. McBrideasked the Secretary of State for Wales if, taking account of paragraphs 1 –3, page viii, of the Explanatory and Financial Memorandum of the Housing Finance Bill, referring to the effect of the Bill on public service manpower, he will now give an estimate of the increase in local authority staff throughout Wales as a result of the provisions of the Bill.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThe effect of the proposals in the Bill will vary greatly as between one local authority and another in relation, for example, to the current usage of staff and whether or not authorities already work a rent rebate scheme. The local authorities are themselves responsible for estimating and filling their own staff needs.