§ Mr. CabornTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what functions his Department carries out at the regional level; where the regional offices are located in each of the regions; what staff are employed and at what grades; what proportion of his Department's budget is spent in each of the regions; and what geographical boundaries determined his Department's regions.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe main functions organised regionally are in the prison service, passport department and the forensic science service. Others include police training, telecommunications, police and fire service inspection, inspections relating to the control of drugs, the United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation, and the inspection of laboratories engaged in scientific procedures on animals.
There are no standard Departmental regions, and thus no Home Office regional offices. Each regional organisation is separately constructed according to the needs of the particular function concerned.
Only in the prison service is there devolved budgetary responsibility on a regional basis. Details of its regional offices' location and approximate staff numbers and 1989–90 budgets are set out in the table below. Since regional offices in the prison service are responsible for staff and expenditure in all prison establishments in their regions, the figures similarly include all such staff and expenditure.
637W
Region Staff-in-post Total budget £ million 1989–90 South East (Woking) 10,500 220 South West (Bristol) 5,100 105 Midlands (Birmingham) 5,900 121 North (Manchester) 9,900 201