§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the number of civil servants working in his Department on (a) duties associated with the abolition of the Greater London council and metropolitan county councils and (b) rates limitation, listing in each case the numbers and ranks of officers and the estimated cost per year of each group.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerOn 1 March, the number of staff working on abolition of the GLC/MCCs in my Department, including those administering the controls in sections 7 to 9 of the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act 1984 and the new control proposed in the Local Government Bill, was as follows:
Grade Estimated full-time equivalents Grade 2 0.2 Grade 3 1.9 Grade 5 9.0 Grade 6 2.6 Principal 15.2 Principal engineer 0.8 Principal information officer 0.1 Principal planning officer 0.7 Principal research officer 0.7 Economic adviser 1.2 PPTO estates officer 0.1 Senior executive officer 4.1 Senior planning officer 0.4 Senior research officer 1.0 Senior scientific officer 0.1 Higher executive officer/HEOD 16.0 Research officer 0.1 Executive officer/administration trainee 10.0 Clerical officer/assistant 11.4 Senior personal secretary 1.7 Personal secretary 6.3 Typist 2.0 Total *85.0 * Does not sum owing to rounding. The cost, including accommodation, of employing these staff for a whole year would be approximately £1.9 million (1984 prices).
In relation to rate limitation, the work load for my Department has recently passed through a peak period. Within the existing commitment of staff resources, as my hon. Friend described in the answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 28 November 1984, the maximum number of staff engaged during this period on rate limitation work was: 759W
Grade Estimated full-time equivalents Grade 3 0.25 Grade 5 2.2 Grade 6 0.4 Principal 3.7 Higher executive officer/HEOD 1.8 Executive officer/administration trainee 2.8 Clerical officer/assistant 3.0 Senior personal secretary 0.25 Personal secretary 1.5 Typist 0.5 Total 16.4 The cost of this level of input, including accommodation, on an annual basis would be approximately £0.36 million (1984 prices).
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any arrangements in mind to deal with single holdings of land which straddle boundaries between two or more transferee authorities in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;
(2) what arrangements will be made to ensure that the property service for the London probation service and the London ambulance service is maintained in the event of Greater London council abolition.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe Government's proposals for the transfer of property rights and liabilities of the Greater London council and metropolitan county councils are contained in a memorandum that was issued on 29 March, as announced in the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on that day at column397.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how he envisages, in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council, that open space replacement lands or other works of environmental reinstatement or consequential local replanning following a new highway scheme will be planned and implemented; and how he will ensure that consistent standards of environmental reinstatement and remedial measures are adopted from borough to borough.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneIn so far as these matters are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, I envisage no change in current policy and practice.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he will make to ensure that the proposed London Fire Brigade Board has appropriate land management facilities available in the event of the Greater London council being abolished.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIt will be for the London fire and civil defence authority to consider appropriate arrangements for land management. The need for architectural and valuation expertise to be available to it is referred to in the advisory memorandum on the establishment of police joint authorities and fire service joint authorities under the Local Government Bill issued by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 2 April.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Harlow on 16 November 1984, Official Report, column 378, about data collection, which information it is 760W envisaged boroughs will (a) still want to collect and (b) will not wish to collect; and which information he will request of the London boroughs, in the event of the Greater London council being abolished.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerIt will be for the borough councils to decide what use to make of the powers in clause 86 of the Local Government Bill. My right hon. Friend will take account of their decisions in considering the use of the powers conferred on him by the clause, which reproduce those in section 71 of the London Government Act 1963.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make arrangements, in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council to ensure continued employee participation and involvement in pension fund matters through the residuary body of receiving authorities;
(2) if he will make arrangements in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council to ensure that any new residuary body continues the practice of full public disclosure of its superannuation fund investment policy and performance;
(3) in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council what arrangements will be made for the investment of the charitable, voluntary, trust and special funds presently invested by the investment management staff of the Greater London council superannuation fund.
Mr. WaldgegraveRegulations will be made to require the London residuary body to manage and administer the superannuation fund in accordance with the Local Government Superannuation Regulations 1974 (as amended). It will be for the residuary body to decide how this can best be achieved and to what extent it should continue the practices presently adopted by the GLC.