§ Q42. Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Prime Minister if she will compare the reduction in Civil Service manpower with that achieved in local authorities since 1979 in percentage terms.
§ The Prime MinisterBetween mid-1979 and mid-1984, in terms of full-time equivalent staff, employment by local authorities fell by 4 per cent. and employment in the Civil Service (excluding the Northern Ireland Civil Service) fell by 14 per cent.