§ 19. Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about trends in employment in local government.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe numer of full-time equivalent staff employed by Scottish local authorities fell by 3.9 per cent. between December 1979 and December 1987. Apart from one minor fluctuation, the trend has been steadily downwards until last year when numbers showed a 1.5 per cent. increase.