§ Mr. Michael McGuireasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish in the Official Report all the new towns which have been allocated a Government office, excluding those which are to be found in most towns or cities such as local offices of the Department of Health and Social Security and the Department of Employment, giving in each case: (a) the Government Department concerned; (b) the numbers employed at the start and currently; and (c) the rate of unemployment at the start and currently.
§ Mr. Charles R. Morris,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th December 1977; Vol. 941, c. 555], gave the following information:
The information given below covers Civil Service work, in terms of posts, dispersed from London to new towns since May 1963 when comprehensive records were first started following the Hemming Report. It includes plans for dispersal to new towns as well as new Civil Service posts established, and to be established, in new towns as a result of the policy, initiated in 1965, of setting up new work away from London whenever possible.
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(i) COMPLETED SCHEMES Number of Posts Unemployment percentage Location Department On Completion At Present On Completion November 1977 (a) Dispersed work Basildon … … … … HM Stationery Office 488 406 3.3 (1) 7.6 Bracknell … … … … Crown Estate Office 40 42 1.1 (2) 4.7 Corby … … … … Home Office 76 75 2.4 7.6 Crawley … … … … Paymaster General's Office 606 801 1.1 (3) 2.6 Hemel Hempstead … … … Department of the Environment 43 53 0.5 (4) 3.1 Peterborough … … … … Passport Office 89 122 1.6 5.2 Runcorn … … … … Department of Employment 600 795 4.7 (5) 10.2 Washington … … … … Inland Revenue 134 196 6.3 (6) 13.1 (b) New Posts Central Lancashire New Town (Preston) Department of Health and Social Security 21 35 2.3 (7) 5.4 East Kilbride … … … … Inland Revenue 1,540 1,685 6.8 (8) 11.2 Newtown … … … … Department of the Environment (Countryside Commission) 6 6 1.5 6.5 Washington … … … … Inland Revenue 197 211 8.0 (6) 13.1
(ii) SCHEMES IN PROGRESS Location Department Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established November 1977 unemployment percentage Corby Home Office 21 35 — — 7.[...] Cumbernauld Inland Revenue — — 200 750 12.4 Livingston Department of Health and Social Security — — 135 121 9.9 (9) Peterborough Inland Revenue — — 28 27 5.2 Stevenage Land Registry — — 535 15 4.2 Washington Department of Health and Social Security — — 1,528 1,272 13.1 (6) 192W193W
(iii) SCHEMES NOT YET COMMENCED Location Department Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Approximate number of new posts to be established November 1977 unemployment percentage East Kilbride Ministry of Overseas Development 650 — 11.2(8 Peterborough Land Registry — 500 5.2 NOTES:
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- (1) Southend-on-Sea Travel to Work Area—includes Basildon, Canvey Island, Grays, Rayleigh, Southend-on-Sea, Stanford-le-hope and Tilbury.
- (2) Reading Travel to Work Area—includes Bracknell, Reading, Reading PEO and Wokingham.
- (3) Crawley Travel to Work Area—includes Burgess Hill, Crawley, East Grinstead, Hay-wards Heath, Horsham and Redhill.
- (4) Watford Travel to Work Area—includes Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth and Watford.
- (5) Widnes Travel to Work Area—includes Runcorn and Widnes.
- (6) Wearside Travel to Work Area—includes Seaham, Southwick, Sunderland, Washington and Washington PEO.
- (7) Preston Travel to Work Area—includes Bamber Bridge, Chorley, Leyland, Preston and Preston PEO.
- (8) North Lanarkshire Travel to Work Area—includes Airdrie, Bellshill, Blantyre, Carluke, Coatbridge, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall, Motherwell, Uddingston and Wishaw.
- (9) Bathgate Travel to Work Area—includes Bathgate, Broxburn, Livingston and West Calder.
§ Mr. Michael McGuireasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will update the figures given to the hon. Member for Ince in the Official Report, 19th February 1976, relating to dispersal of public service jobs.
§ Mr. Charles R. Morris,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th December 1977; Vol. 941, c. 555], gave the following information:
The updated information for each English region and for Scotland and Wales showing the position at 1st October 1977 is set out below. The information covers Civil Service posts dispersed from London since May 1963—when comprehensive records were first started following the Flemming Report—and planned to be dispersed, as well as new Civil Service posts established, and to be established, outside London as a result of the policy initiated in 1965 of setting up new work in the regions whenever possible. The figures include the dispersals in the Government programme announced on 30th July 1974.
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NORTHERN REGION Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence Carlisle … … 71 — — — Department of Education and Science Darlington … … 640 — — — Department of the Environment (Property Services Agency) Teesside … … — 3,000 — — Department of Health and Social Security Billingham … … — — 35 — Newcastle … … 222 278 — — Washington … … — — 1,528 1,272 Billingham … … — — 130 — Department of Industry (Laboratory of the Government Chemist) West Cumbria … … — 360 — — Inland Revenue Newcastle … … 109 — — — Gateshead … … 266 — — — Middlesbrough … … 195 — 181 24 Sunderland … … 40 — — — Washington … … 134 — 197 — Land Registry Durham … … — — 339 211 Department for National Savings Durham … … 1,835 — — — H.M Stationery Office Gateshead … … — — 402 — 3,512 3,638 2,812 1,507 196W197W
YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence Harrogate … … 277 — — — Inland Revenue Bradford … … 410 42 165 — Leeds … … 140 — 165 — Sheffield … … 85 — 56 3 Shipley … … 366 — 74 950 Manpower Services Commission Sheffield … … 50 1,450 — — 1,328 1,492 460 953 198W199W
NORTH-WEST Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Merseyside … … — 1,250 — — Agricultural Research Council. Merseyside … … — 160 — — Charity Commission Liverpool … … 104 — — — H.M. Customs and Excise Liverpool … … — — 328 — Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) Liverpool … … 75 — — — Department of Employment Runcorn … … 600 — — — Department of Energy Liverpool … … 36 — — — Department of the Environment Liverpool … … 233 — — — Foreign and Commonwealth Office Merseyside … … 10 490 — — Department of Health and Social Security Blackpool … … 213 767 25 — Fleetwood … … 331 — 69 — Preston … … — — 21 — Home Office Manchester … … 2 — — — Merseyside … … — 1,000 — — Department of Industry Bootle … … — — 109 — Inland Revenue. Bootle … … 210 — 1,118 56 Crewe … … 23 — — — Manchester … … 2,735 — 37 30 Merseyside … … — — 152 — Stockport … … 11 — — — Bootle … … — — — up to 2,000 (see note 3) Land Registry Lytham … … — — 613 47 North Wirral … … — — 72 578 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys Southport … … 36 464 — — 4,619 4,131 2,544 2,711
EAST MIDLANDS Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Department of Energy Leicester … … 50 — — — Home Office Corby … … 97 35 — — Land Registry Nottingham … … — — 580 60 Natural Environment Research Council (Institute of Geological Sciences) Nottingham … … 55 675 — — 202 710 580 60
WEST MIDLANDS Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence … … … … Worcester … … 231 — — — Home Office … … … … Birmingham … … 3 — — — Inland Revenue … … … … Solihull … … — — 60 3 Stoke … … 45 — — — 279 — 60 3 200W201W
EAST ANGLIA Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food … Cambridge … … 59 — — — Civil Service Department … Norwich … … — 500 — — Nature Conservancy Council. … Huntingdon … … 36 — — — Inland Revenue … Peterborough … … — — 28 27 Land Registry … Peterborough … … — — — 500 Passport Office … Peterborough … … 89 — — — H.M. Stationery Office … Norwich … … 1,110 373 — — 1,294 873 28 527 202W203W
SOUTH WEST Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence Bath … … 240 90 — — Blandford … … 14 — — — Devizes … … 20 — — — Gloucester … … 34 — — — Taunton … … 248 — — — Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive). Portland … … 14 — — — Department of the Environment/Department of Transport. Bristol … … 169 865 — — Countryside Commission Cheltenham. … … 100 — — — Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas Salisbury … … 46 94 — — Home Office Bristol … … 3 — — — Inland Revenue. Bristol … … 6 — — — Exeter … … 30 — 25 21 Plymouth … … 50 — — — Land Registry Gloucester. … … — — 684 — Plymouth … … 292 — 274 306 Weymouth … … — — — 500 Natural Environment Research Council Swindon … … 123 67 — — Science Research Council Swindon … … 180 200 — — Department of Trade Poole … … — 35 — — 1,569 1,351 983 827
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SOUTH EAST Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Civil Service Department Sunningdale … … 56 — 129 — Basingstoke … … 129 171 — — Civil Service Commission) Basingstoke … … 690 — — — Crown Estate Office Bracknell … … 40 — — — HM Customs and Excise Southend … … 1,295 465 1,307 — Rayleigh … … 15 — — — Ministry of Defence Portsmouth … … 5 — — — Andover … … — — — 580 Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) Bedford … … 30 — — — Farnborough … … 70 — — — Portsmouth … … 17 — — — Woking/Chelmsford … — 89 — — Reading … … 18 — — — Employment Service Agency Colchester … … 43 — — — Eastbourne … … 31 — — — Basingstoke … … 49 — — — Department of the Environment Hastings … … 5 — — — Property Services Agency Hastings … … 750 — — — Nature Conservancy Council Banbury … … 8 — 11 — Department of Health and Social Security Basingstoke … … 290 — — — Reading … … — — 127 — Southampton … … 79 — — — Home Office Banbury … … 34 — — — Inland Revenue Southampton … … 247 — — — Portsmouth … … 275 — 210 — Worthing … … 384 — — — Woking … … — — 36 34 Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce Reading … … — — 403 — Land Registry Tunbridge Wells … — — 690 — Stevenage … … — — 535 15
SOUTH EAST—continued Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new post established Approximate number of new posts to be established Natural Environment Research Council (Institute of Geological Sciences) … Wallingford … 17 4 — — Ordnance Survey. … Southampton … 700 — — — Ministry of Overseas Development … Bramley … — 700 — — Paymaster General's Office … Crawley … 606 — — — Office of Population Censuses and Survey … Titchfield … 180 — — — HM Stationery Office … Basildon … 488 — — — Department of Trade … Farnborough … — 39 — — Training Services Agency … Basingstoke … 149 — — — Department of Transport … Cardington … 14 — — — Hemel Hempstead … 43 — — — Crowthorne … 568 — — — 7,325 1,468 [...]448 629 206W207W
SCOTLAND Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence Glasgow … … — up to 4,000 — — Glasgow … … — 1,500 — — Department of Energy Glasgow … … — — 121 — Forestry Commission Edinburgh … … 145 — — — Department of Health and Social Security Livingston … … — — 135 121 Department of Industry. Glasgow. … … — — 160 — Inland Revenue Edinburgh … … 1,152 — 196 — Cumbernauld … … — — 200 750 Glasgow … … 202 — — — East Kilbride. … … — — 1,540 — Department for National Savings Glasgow … … 4,624 — — — Ministry of Overseas Development East Kilbride. … … — 650 — — Glasgow … … — 350 — — Department of Transport Dundee. … … — — 108 58 6,123 6,500 2,460 929
WALES Department Location Number of posts dispersed Approximate number of posts to be dispersed Number of new posts established Approximate number of new posts to be established Ministry of Defence Cardiff … … — 4,000–5,000 — — Department of the Environment (Countryside Commission. Swansea … … — — 160 — Newtown … … — — 6 — Export Credits Guarantee Department Cardiff … … 58 742 — — Inland Revenue. Newport … … 80 — — — Cardiff … … 57 — 37 20 Pontypridd … … 32 — — — Land Registry Swansea … … — — 212 288 Royal Mint Llantrisant … … 1,071 — — — Passport Office. Newport … … 87 — — — Department of Transport Swansea … … — — 5,454 (see note 4) — Departments of Trade and Industry Cardiff/Newport … … 161 439 — — Cardiff … … 879 121 118 — Newport … … 1,047 — — — 3,472 6,302 5,987 308 Notes:
(1) The categories "New posts established, or to be established". include some posts which do not necessarily represent a net overall gain to a region, but nevertheless benefit a particular location in the region.
(2) As announced by the then Lord President of the Council on 30th July 1974, 1,000 Property Services Agency posts will be decentralised to regional headquarters. Locations have yet to be decided. Decisions have also yet to be taken on the location of the headquarters of the Health and Safety Commission and the bulk of the dispersal of Inland Revenue work, both of which were included in the announcement of 30th July 1974.
(3) The number of posts to be found for St. John's House, Bootle (see Official Report of 24th November 1977, Col. 857) is approximate and will depend on the type of work.
(4) The total number of posts at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea, is likely to be less than the overall number of posts shown. Approximately, 50 of the posts are located in Pontypool.
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