§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff and of what grades will remain in the Newcastle district offices following the review of the Environment and Transport Departments by Sir Derek Rayner; and by how many the total has been reduced as a result of the review.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe staffing of the joint DOE/DTp Northern regional office in Newcastle is under review following acceptance of the Rayner scrutiny report recommendation that responsibility for Cumbria be transferred from the Northern to the North-West regional office in Manchester. The Northern regional office will in future have the same regional director as the Yorkshire and Humberside regional office and this arrangement is now in operation. Other recommendations in the report affect all DOE/DTp regional offices and we will be seeking appropriate savings in all of them (including Newcastle) in consultation with the trade unions.