§ Mr. McGuireasked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) what criteria he uses to guide him in deciding upon the dispersal of Government Departments to the regions;
(2) if, because of the level of unemployment, he will allocate a high priority to the Skelmersdale New Town in his policy of dispersing Government Departments to the regions; and if he will make a statement;
(3) when he expects to complete his review on the dispersal of Government Departments; how many Government Departments have been dispersed during the last 12 months; to what areas they were sent; and what was the total numbers of jobs created thereby in the areas concerned.
§ Mr. David HowellI would refer the hon. Member to my answer to a number of hon. Members on 14th July describing progress on the review of dispersal possibilities and setting out the two main criteria to be used when the question of dispersal locations is considered. Skelmersdale New Town will be considered 309W along with other places as the review proceeds. Information about Civil Service work dispersed from the London area
Department Location Jobs Charity Commission … … … Liverpool … … … 94 Civil Service Department … … … Basingstoke … … … 447 Customs and Excise … … … Southend … … … 1 Ministry of Defence … … … Carlisle … … … 71 Harrogate … … … 132 Quedgeley … … … 5 Ministry of Defence (Aviation Supply) … … … Liverpool … … … 24 Farnborough … … … 17 Bedford … … … 7 Department of Education and Science … … … Darlington … … … 220 Department of Employment … … … Runcorn … … … 215 Home Office … … … Redhill … … … 8 Manchester … … … 2 Corby … … … 76 Inland Revenue … … … Edinburgh … … … 641 Manchester … … … 468 Land Registry … … … Plymouth … … … 44 Department for National Savings … … … Glasgow … … … 762 Durham … … … 71 Paymaster General's Office … … … Crawley … … … 44 Royal Mint … … … Llantrisant … … … 21 Department of Trade and Industry … … … Newport … … … 115 Total … … … 3,485