HC Deb 23 March 1989 vol 149 cc781-2W
Mr. Bevan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the office of the Director General of Water Services will be located.

Mr. Howard

After considering the nature of the work and the number of posts involved, it has been decided that, subject to parliamentary approval of the Water Bill, the headquarters of the Water Services Offices should be located in Birmingham.

This location reflects the Government's policy of locating civil service work in areas offering advantages in

Local authority current expenditure1 on housing, personal social services and education and science.>
1983–84 outturn 1984–85 outturn 1985–86 outturn 1986–87 outturn 1987–88 outturn 1988–89 outturn 1989–90 plans 1990–91 plans
Local authority current expenditure (£ million)on:
Housing 787 737 728 697 758 684 657 680
Personal social services 2,535 2,694 2,817 3,112 3,502 3,828 3,969 4,100
Education and Science 13,113 13,618 14,044 15,388 16,842 18.087 18,122 18,720
Local authority spending on each service as a percentage of total local authority current expenditure
Housing 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
Personal social services 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9
Education and science 40 39 40 41 41 42 41 41
Local authority spending on each service as a percentage of general
Government expenditure1 on each service
Housing 66 61 57 51 55 50 50 50
Personal social services 96 96 96 96 96 96 96 96
Education and science3 84 84 84 85 85 84 80 80
1 The figures given are consistent with those published in "The Government's Expenditure Plans, 1989–90 to 1991–92" (Cm 601–621). They exclude central Government and local authority finance for public corporations.
2 ie Central Government plus local authority expenditure.
>3 The fall in this percentage between 1988–89 and 1989–90 reflects the transfer of responsibility for funding polytechnics and colleges from local authorities to central Government.

terms of accommodation costs and labour supply conditions, including where appropriate areas which are the focus of regional and urban policies.

This new, non-ministerial Government Department is expected to employ some 80 civil servants, including the secretariats of the ten regionally based customer services committees proposed in the Water Bill.