Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress is being made with the transfer of the Teachers' Pensions and Salaries and Qualifications Branch of his Department to Darlington; and when he expects the transfer to be completed.
§ Mr. CroslandThe dispersal to Darlington of Teachers Pensions and Salaries and Qualifications Branches is not expected to be completed before 1970, since the multi-storey office block, in which most of the staff will be accommodated, is unlikely to be ready before the end of 1969. It may, however, be possible, if suitable temporary office accommodation can be44W found, for part of the work to be transferred in 1968.
The Department's Automatic Data Processing Unit will be moved to Darlington earlier. Specialist accommodation is expected to be available for them on the Mowden Hall site by mid-1968 when a new computer will be installed there. A small Automatic Data Processing training section, 16 in number, is already at work in the existing premises at Mowden Hall: the staff of the Unit will be increased progressively to more than 100 between now and mid-1968.
When the dispersal is completed it is estimated that about 550 civil servants, many of whom will be recruited locally, will be employed on the Mowden site.