§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will show, for each Government Department, the number of (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civil servants in post on (c) 1st March 1974 and (d) 1st October 1975, indicating also the total annual staffing and administrative cost on each date for each Department; and whether he will briefly specify, in each case, the legislative or policy reasons which have caused the variation in staff over the period in question.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe number of staff in post, by Department, on 1st March 1974 and 1st July 1975, the latest date for which figures are available, is given below:
The reasons for the major variations in staff over the period in question are as follows:
HM Customs and Excise (+3,657 staff):
Increased staffing for control of value added tax; increase in EEC ports work.
Inland Revenue (+ 6,405 staff):
Build-up of work on the reconstructed national insurance scheme under the Social Security Act 1973; growth in the overall number of taxpayers and the number liable at other than the basic rate; new work arising from the Finance and Finance (No. 2) Acts, 1975.
Department of Employment (−13,002 staff):
Between 1st April 1974 and 1st July 1975, the Manpower Services Commission was set up as a statutory body under the Employment and Training Act, 1973. As a result, the number of staff in the Department of Employment fell by 18,100 (5,400 staff transferred to the Training Services Agency, 12,700 to the Employment Service Agency). Reductions for staff transferred to these agencies has been partially offset as a result of the introduction of measures to combat high unemployment and the creation of the Health and Safety Commission.
Department of the Environment (+1,754 staff):
The largest single factor is the continued build-up of staff for centralised 437W driver and vehicle licensing under the Vehicle and Driving Licences Act, 1969.
Home Office (+3,123 staff):
Growth in the Prison Service due to improvement in recruitment of prison officers; growth in the Immigration Service due to work increases; transfer of staff from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in April 1974.
Department of Health and Social Security (+ 7,156 staff):
Increased workloads resulting from more frequent benefit upratings. Additional staff for work on the Reconstructed
438W
CIVIL SERVICE MANPOWER Department Staff in Post at 1st March 1974 Staff in Post at 1st July 1975 Non-Industrials Industrials Total Non-Industrials Industrials Total Cabinet Office 599 — 599 658 — 658 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food* 14,328 1,133 15,461 14,709 1,161 15,870 H.M. Treasury 997 — 997 1,119 — 1,119 H.M. Customs and Excise 24,932 — 24,932 28,589 — 28,589 Inland Revenue 69,659 33 69,692 76,072 25 76,097 Department for National Savings 13,435 132 13,567 13,266 99 13,365 Department of Education and Science† 3,858 83 3,941 3,981 95 4,076 Department of Employment‡ 32,080 1,577 33,657 20,504 151 20,655 Department of Energy 1,364 82 1,446 1,331 11 1,342 Department of the Environment § 42,034 27,480 69,514 44,638 26,630 71,268 Ordnance Survey 4,151 371 4,522 4,169 377 4,546 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 9,967 250 10,217 10,046 237 10,283 Ministry of Overseas Development 2,123 48 2,171 2,237 53 2,290 Home Office 24,858 3,652 28,510 27,780 3,853 31,633 Lord Chancellor's Office and Courts etc. 9,428 — 9,428 9,906 — 9,906 Land Registry 4,838 5 4,843 4,655 5 4,660 Civil Service Department 3,492 1,601 5,093 3,779 1,609 5,388 Central Office of Information 1,188 63 1,251 1,275 59 1,334 H.M. Stationery Office 3,142 4,037 7,179 3,293 3,961 7,254 Scottish Office 9,052 755 9,807 9,617 705 10,322 Scottish Courts Administration etc 731 4 735 738 4 742 Department of Health and Social Security 82,331 209 82,540 89,465 231 89,696 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys 2,706 18 2,724 2,838 20 2,858 Department of Trade|| 16,550 805 17,355 7,440 40 7,480 Department of Industry|| — — — 9,392 760 10,152 Department of Prices and Consumer Protection|| — — — 375 — 375 Export Credits Guarantee Department 1,642 — 1,642 1,800 — 1,800 Welsh Office 1,091 2 1,093 1,420 2 1,422 Ministry of Defence 128,535 139,231 267,766 130,321 135,677 265,998 All Other Departments 5,548 829 6,377 5,718 1,086 6,804 Totals 514,659 182,400 697,059 531,131 176,851 707,982 Note: All figures include part-time staff counted as one half. * Includes staff of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce. † Includes staff of the Victoria and Albert and Science Museums. ‡ Includes on 1st July 1975 staff of the Health and Safety Commission/Executive. § Includes staff of the Property Services Agency. || These three Departments formed the Department of Trade and Industry at 1st March 1974. National Insurance Scheme under the Social Security Act, 1973.
Ministry of Defence (−1,768 staff):
Closures and reductions at RAF Units, and the difficulty in recruiting industrial staff in the dockyards.
It is not possible to provide the annual staffing and administrative cost for each Department on the dates specified. But I would refer the hon. Member to the published Departmental Supply Estimates for 1974–75 and 1975–76 which include the provision for such costs for the years ending 31st March 1975 and 31st March 1976, respectively.