HC Deb 03 November 1980 vol 991 cc476-7W
Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what reduction in the number of employees in his Department has occurred as a result of, or is expected to follow from, the current moratorium on the placing of contracts by his Department.

Mr. Pym

The reason for the three month moratorium on new defence contracts was to hold down the rate at which the Ministry of Defence entered into new commitments at a time when the level of defence expenditure of the defence programme has been unexpectedly high. Its intention was not, therefore, to reduce the number of employees in the Ministry of Defence. As I said in the House on 28 October, I have already taken, and will continue to take. a number of measures to reduce manpower. Civilian numbers have already fallen by 15,000 since April 1979.

Mr. Churchill

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total number of non-industrial, nonscientific, civil servants employed by his Department in each year since 1970–71 to date.

Mr. Pattie

Excluding staff in the science category, the number of United Kingdom-based Ministry of Defence non-industrial civil servants (including those in the Royal Ordnance Factories) employed since 1970 was as follows:

1 April 1970 105,200
1 April 1971 105,100
1 April 1972 117,300
1 April 1973 118,300
1 April 1974 117,500
1 April 1975 118,800
1 April 1976 118,600
1 April 1977 114,800
1 April 1978 111,500
1 April 1979 110,100
1 April 1980 108,000

These numbers are not comparable one year with another because of changes in departmental responsibilities. For example, when the Procurement Executive was formed in 1971 some 17,000 non-industrial staff who were serving formerly with the Ministry of Aviation Supply were absorbed into MOD numbers. The latest analysis of strengths by grades and categories is that shown for 1 April 1980, but further reductions will have been made in the last seven months.

The figures include many specialist and technological staff who perform a quasi-scientific or professional function but are not members of the Civil Service science category. Only some 10 per cent. of the numbers are administrative and executive staff, and if this element at 1 April 1980 is shown as a percentage of the overall total of MOD civilians. it is no more than 4 per cent.

Mr. Churchill

asked the Secretary of State for Defence by what numbers and percentage his Department has reduced its establishment of non-industrial, nonscientific civil servants since May 1979.

Mr. Pattie

I regret that information on establishments is not readily available. I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.