§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if a firm decision has yet been taken on the exact number of posts in his Department to be transferred to Cardiff; and, if not, what are the latest estimates.
§ Dr. GilbertNo firm decision has yet been taken on the exact number, but the current estimate of the number of posts to be transferred to Cardiff is about 4,250 and planning is going ahead on this basis.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if it is envisaged that the staffing levels of those offices of his Department in London due for dispersal to Cardiff and Glasgow will decrease over the next 10 years; and, if so, by how much.
§ Dr. GilbertIt is not possible to estimate changes so far ahead, but as part of management policy all parts of the MOD are scrutinised for economies on a continuing basis.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are currently employed in those offices of his Department in London due for dispersal to Cardiff and Glasgow.
§ Dr. GilbertAbout 4,500 staff are currently employed in the blocks of work due for dispersal to Cardiff. Correspond474W ing figures for Glasgow cannot be provided at this stage because final decisions have yet to be taken about the composition of the Glasgow dispersal package.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence what number of posts in his Department being transferred to Cardiff are filled by staff deemed essential transferees.
§ Dr. GilbertAbout 2,600.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will initiate a survey of the attitudes of staff in his Department in London towards the Welsh language and culture; and if he will give an assurance that staff who are antagonistic towards the teaching of Welsh in Cardiff schools will not be transferred to the proposed new offices in Cardiff.
§ Dr. GilbertNo.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will initiate a survey, and publish the findings, of the number of staff in the London offices of his Department who are willing or unwilling to be transferred to the proposed new offices at (a) Cardiff and (b) Glasgow.
§ Dr. GilbertStaff attitude surveys regarding dispersal to Cardiff and Glasgow are planned in consultation with MOD Staff Side representatives who will be informed of the findings.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department has requested Cardiff City Council to allocate permanent council dwellings for transferred staff coming to Cardiff; and, if so, how many;
(2) how many temporary council dwellings have been requested by his Department for transferring staff to Cardiff.
§ Dr. GilbertNo firm requests have been made to Cardiff City Council but discussions about housing have taken place with officials.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has prepared an updated estimate of 475W the outlay cost of transferring Civil Service posts from London to outlying areas on a similar basis to the estimates in the 1973 Hardman Report on Civil Service Dispersal; if so, if any adjustments have been made so that the estimates relate specifically to the transfer of staff of his Department; and, if not, if he will prepare such an estimate.
§ Dr. GilbertEstimates are being prepared of the costs to the MOD of dispersal to Cardiff and Glasgow but they must be provisional because we are still at the planning stage.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence if approaches have been made by his Department for mortgage facilities to be arranged with Cardiff City Council for staff in his Department transferred to the proposed new offices in Cardiff; and what response has been forthcoming.
§ Dr. GilbertNo.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-clerical posts in his Department are being transferred from London to Cardiff; and how many of such posts he anticipates will be filled by local people.
§ Dr. GilbertExcluding administrative, technical and clerical grades, about 500 other jobs will be transferred to St. Mel-ions, Cardiff, including posts for data processors, typists, messengers, security guards, photoprinters and drivers all of whom will be recruited locally.
In addition, there will be opportunities before any moves to Cardiff take place for suitably qualified staff in the Cardiff area to apply for jobs in executive and technical group grades which are recruited on a national basis and to opt to serve initially in the Cardiff area.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the phased withdrawal of staff from the offices in London of his Department has been arranged in such a way as to ensure that premises falling vacant upon transfer will be swiftly available for alternative use;
(2) if firm plans have yet been made to utilise the office premises and associated facilities that will fall vacant upon the transfer of staff of his Department from London to Cardiff and Glasgow.
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§ Mr. MarksI have been asked to reply.
The offices referred to form part of the Government's "common user" London estate managed by the Property Services Agency. No detailed plans for space released by MOD have yet been decided, but the PSA is currently examining the options for rationalising the London estate as dispersal takes place with the objective of reusing or disposing of vacated buildings to the best advantage at the earliest opportunity.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Defence what costs have been incurred so far in preparing and developing the site of the new offices for his Department at St. Mellons, Cardiff; and what estimates have been made of the final costs, after landscaping, of establishing the new offices and associated facilities there.
§ Mr. MarksI have been asked to reply.
To date, £8,130 has been spent on soil investigation of the site. We expect to acquire the site soon and invite tenders for preliminary site works. Reliable cost estimates for the buildings cannot be given until further design work has been completed.