HC Deb 09 November 1971 vol 825 cc130-9W
Mr. William Clark

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what were the numbers and what was the cost of the Civil Service, excluding the Post Office, for the years 1930, 1935, 1940, 1950, 1960. 1970 and 1971; what percentage of the gross national product this cost represented in each of those years; and what is his estimate of the cost for 1973.

Mr. David Howell:

The information is readily available only for more recent years as follows:

Year Staff in post at 1st April (000's) Cost (based on estimate of salaries and wages in year beginning 1st April (£m) Percentage of Gross Nation Product
1939 347 .. ..
1950 746 .. ..
1961 643 523 2.1
1970 701 879 2.1
1971 700 978 *
Forecasts for 1973 are not yet available.
* Gross National Product is not yet available for 1971.

Sir G. Sinclair

asked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) if he will state the number of civil servants at the latest convenient date and provide an analysis which will indicate the types of work on which those civil servants are employed;

(2) what improvements he proposes to make in the provision of information on Civil Service manpower.

Mr. David Howell:

The total number of non-industrial and industrial civil servants at 1st July was 701,915. The analysis below indicates the types of work in which civil servants are employed in relation to Ministerial responsibilities and principal activities. In the interests of providing fuller and better information to Parliament, I will announce the number of civil servants in post each quarter in this form in the future. An analysis of the position at 1st October, 1971, will be given shortly and thereafter figures

CIVIL SERVICE STAFF IN POST
July 1, 1971
Executive Functions
Ministerial Responsibilities Central Administration Public Services Trading and Repayment General Support Services
CABINET OFFICE
Secretariat and central support staff 409
Central Statistical Office 168
577
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Agriculture, fisheries and food policy 1,727
Agricultural Development and Advisory Service 5,601
Other technical staff 105
Regional and Divisional Offices 5,270
Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place 451
Fisheries, pest infestation and food science laboratories. 728
Central services 1,932
3,659 12,155
CIVIL SERVICE
Management of the Civil Service 665 106 252
Civil Service recruitment 435
Civil Service College 311
Central services 531
1,196 106 998
CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
Treasury 1,026 46
Customs and Excise:
Collection of indirect taxes. and control of imports and exports 1,548 15,690
Import and export statistics 746
Inland Revenue:
Collection of direct taxes, etc 2 236 59,973 98
Land and property valuation services 6,315 1,622
Central Office of Information 250 1,240
H.M. Stationery Office:
Procurement and distribution of paper, printing, etc. 382 1,611 1,474
Production units, printing, binding and reprographic 773 3,129
Computer bureau 332
Department for National Savings:
Receipt and repayment of savings 815 13,641
Support of voluntary savings movement 530
Small Departments:
Treasury Solicitor 77 35 265
Paymaster General's Office 58 587
Royal Mint 1,432
Exchequer Office, Scotland 19 10 22 10
Government Actuary 52
Registry of Friendly Societies 17 68 13
National Debt Office 12 22 18
Decimal Currency Board 13
6,453 83,389 17,608 8,757
will be collected from Departments only quarterly.

Ministerial Responsibilities Central Administration Public Services Executive Functions Trading and Repayment General Support Services
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Educational and scientific policy and administration, including University Grants Committee and H.M. Inspectors of Schools 2,154 821
National Lending Library 268
Victoria and Albert Museum 614
Science Museum 405
2,154 1,840 268
EMPLOYMENT
Employment and training services 1,770 16,063 87
Occupational safety and health 1,511
Industrial relations 708
Industrial tribunals and Industrial Court 177
Selective employment payments 489
Unemployment benefit and redundancy payments 11,277
Passport work 509
Office of Manpower Economics 52
1,770 30,277 596
ENVIRONMENT
Local government and environmental services 1,975 3,850 5,020
Housing 85 450
Construction and maintenance 3,140 3,500 8,850 38,400
Transport industries 660 230 1,540
Research 2,700
Related Bodies 445
Ordnance Survey 374 3,809 464
6,234 14,984 15,874 38,400
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH
Diplomatic Service (Home) 3,201 152 56 46
Diplomatic Service (Overseas) 2,736 243
Diplomatic Wireless Service 381 1,107
Government Communications Head-quarters 244 1,664
Passport Office 766
Overseas Development Administration:
Aid Administration 1,060
Overseas manpower division 414
Overseas technical assistance 982
4,886 7,055 1,065 46
HOME
Prisons (England and Wales) 487 17,574
Immigration 895 1,210
Police services 268 3,082
Fire 86 336
Criminal 133
Probation and after-care 190 70
Northern Ireland, community programmes and general 117
Scientific, research and statistics 268
Carlisle State Management Scheme 820
Central services 873
3,317 22,272 820
Executive Functions
Ministerial Responsibilities Central Administration Public Services Trading and Repayment General Support Services
LORD CHANCELLOR
Lord Chancellor's Office 196
Court Service, etc. 6,921
Probate Registries 498
Land Registry 4,194
Public Trustee 548
Public Record Office 315
196 7,734 4,742
POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Broadcasting and radio regulators 195 35 90 10
Posts and telecommunications 82
277 35 90 10
SCOTLAND
Scottish Office:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 528 2,109
Scottish Development Department 779 57 66
Scottish Education Department 288 356
Scottish Home and Health Department 573 419 285
Central services 1,738
Prisons 1,976
State Hospital 290
Scottish Courts Service, etc. 522
Small Scottish Departments:
Registers of Scotland 278
Lord Lyon and Warden of Regalia 6
Royal Scottish Museum 157
Scottish Record Office 128
General Register Office. Scotland 32 379
3,938 6,393 635
SOCIAL SERVICES
Health services 4,258
Special Hospitals 1,413
Artificial Limb and Appliance Centres 916
National Health Service Superannuation 386
War Pensioners Hospital 78
Artificial Eye Unit
Common Cold Research Unitand Youth Treatment Centre
Social security benefit services 2,680
Regional organisation 50,980
Newcastle Central Office 10,562
Blackpool Central Office 2,165
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys 479 1,511 541
7,417 68,011 541
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
International trade 500 1,041
Industry and commerce 1,895 3,019 2,438
Industrial research 3,967
Civil aviation and marine 482 7,489 631
Central services (including Business Statistics Office) 3,658 844
Exports Credits Guarantee Department 1,523
6,535 15,516 4,592 844
Executive Functions
Ministerial Responsibilities Central Administration Public Services Trading and Repayment General Support Services
WALES
Welsh Office:
Primary and secondary education including H.M. Inspectors of Schools 26 54
Local government and development including housing 328
Health services 140
Central services 321
Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre 44
815 98
SMALL DEPARTMENTS
Charity Commission 48 261
Civil Service Pay Research Unit 32
Crown Estate Office 128
Crown Office 20
Director of Public Prosecutions 12 121
Law Officers' Department 13
Lord Advocate's Department 12
Parliamentary Counsel 41
Privy Council Office 34
Procurator Fiscal Service 281
Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements 71
Supreme Court of Northern Ireland 96
180 830 128 32
TOTAL 49,604 270,589 46,524 49,628
GRAND TOTAL. 416.345
Ministerial Responsibilities Staff
DEFENCE
Ministry of Defence Headquarters:
(a) Main Headquarters 11,417
(b) Defence Procurement Executive Headquarters* 7,947
Maintenance, repair, storage and supply organisations 109,836
Command and support services for armed forces including medical, education and training establishments 81,304
Defence Procurement organisation outside Headquarters*, including Research and Development establishments and Royal Ordnance Factories 66,915
Meteorological Office 3,396
280,815
* The Defence Procurement Executive as such did not exist on 1st July 1971 and the figures given for the Executive within the total for the Ministry of Defence are for illustrative purposes only.
Notes
1.—These tables omit, as will future announcements, 3,943 staff not employed by Government Departments but deemed to be civil servants for superannuation purposes under the terms of section 98(4) of the Superannuation Act 1965; 625 staff of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Exchequer and Audit Department; and 187 judicial officers.
2. The following are the definitions related to the column headings of the above tables:
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
This column includes staff at headquarters concerned with:—
(a) the introduction or development of policy and related matters;
(b) central services such as the provision of professional advice and support services e.g. finance. personnel, etc.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS Public Services Includes staff concerned with the application of policy, e.g. payment of sickness benefits, collection of taxes and contributions, staffing prisons and providing services to industry including research and development. Trading and Repayment Services Includes staff engaged on activities which are largely financially self-supporting through sales. fees or charges for goods and service. General Support Services Includes staff engaged in providing services for other departments. A department's own central services staff are included in the column headed "Central Administration"

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