§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give further details showing to what extent he estimates that the Government's policy of reducing the labour force in the South East, in Government offices, by 14,000 will be achieved in the current year; and why he has allowed a 12.8 per cent. increase in the employment of non-industrial staff in Government services in the South East between July, 1964, and January, 1968.
§ Mr. Harold LeverIt is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the Civil Service should be no larger than it needs to be in order to undertake its tasks and that any work which can be efficiently 25W carried on away from London and the South East should be located accordingly. The 14,000 jobs referred to in my Answer of 25th July to the hon. Member as planned for removal but not yet moved will be moved over the next eight years, but it is not possible without disproportionate work to state how many will move in the current year. Recent decisions have in any event increased the total planned to move over this period to 17,000. Mainly as a result of dispersal policy the growth figure of 12.8 per cent. referred to in the hon. Member's Question is lower than the corresponding figure for the rest of the country.