HC Deb 17 January 1984 vol 71 cc188-9W
Mr. Michael Forsyth

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the latest estimates for each of the main Government Departments of the cost of facilities for elected representatives of Civil Service non-industrial unions.

Mr. Hayhoe

The estimates as at 1.6.84 are shown in the tables. Compared with the position as at 1.6.83 there has been a reduction of about 190 man years in the amount of paid time off for union business, with consequential savings (in real terms) approaching £2.0 million. These savings reflect the tighter control and accountability measures introduced by departmental agreements framed within the national agreement.

Department Under

5

 6–10 11–20 21–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61–70 71–80 81–90 91–99 Full Time
Scottish Office (including General Register Office (Scotland) Scottish Record Office) 105 26 7 — — 2 — — — — — 8
Other Government Departments 440 121 65 23 21 14 2 3 3 4 3 23
Total 7,464 2,361 1,483 467 184 150 87 61 61 54 53 216
* Figures take into account the transfer of the Passport Office from the FCO to the Home Office on 1 April 1984.

Table 2 Numbers and Cost
Department Total Number involved Total Number expressed or whole time equivalent Cost in Salaries wages and direct benefit (£ million) Cost as percentage of wage bill Total number of non-industrial staff at 1 July 1984
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 106 17 0.20 0.2 10,678
Customs and Excise 762 117 1.25 0.4 25,175
Ministry of Defence (including Royal Ordnance Factories) 1,623 147 1.39 0.1 102,487
Department of Employment Group 2,301 107 1.15 0.2 54,295
Department of Environment/Transport (excluding Property Services Agency) 531 52 0.60 0.3 20,902
Foreign and Commonwealth Office* (inc. Overseas Development Administration) 100 18 0.16 0.1 9,630
Department of Health and Social Security 1,974 345 2.95 0.3 89,791
Home Office* (including Prison Department) 1,049 106 1.07 0.2 33,584
Department of Trade and Industry 449 36 0.45 0.3 12,060
Inland Revenue 2,033 108 1.34 0.2 68,938
Lord Chancellor's Department 178 32 0.34 0.3 10,017
Department for National Savings 211 24 0.20 0.3 7,806
Property Services Agency (inc. Crown Supplies) 454 30 0.36 0.2 13,699
Scottish Office (including General Register Office (Scotland) and Scottish Record Office) 148 20 0.16 0.1 6,557
Other Government Departments 722 90 1.02 0.2 35,266
Total 12,641 1,249 12.64 0.2 500,885
* Figures take into account the transfer of the Passport Office from the FCO to the Home Office on 1 April 1984.