§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the reduction in numbers in the administrative, executive, clerical, industrial, scientific and professional grades in his Department in actual numbers and percentage terms since May 1979; and what is the complement as against the actual numbers employed in these grades now compared with that in May 1979.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe reductions in staff in post between 1 May 1979 and 1 December 1980 in these categories in my Department, including the Property Services Agency, were:
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Grades Administrative and Executive 369½(7.4%) Clerical 836½(13.2%) Scientific 90(11.3%) Professional 676½(5.6%) Industrial 3190(14.2%) Complements and staff ceilings are fixed not by reference to overall numbers of particular categories of staff in the Department but on the basis of individual divisions' or other internal organisations' needs, which normally require a mix of some or all of these categories. Information in the form requested would, therefore, be disproportionately costly to provide.