§ Mr. Laurance Reedasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on the current state of progress on implementing the Fulton Report.
§ Mr. David HowellA fourth report by the Joint Committee of the National Whitley Council entitled "The Shape of the Post-Fulton Civil Service" will be issued tomorrow. I am arranging for copies to be available in the Vote Office tonight. The report opens with a summary of the broad position reached on post-Fulton work as it affects staff. It then describes progress in the restructuring of the Civil Service and on the abolition of classes.
Down to and including under-secretary level a scheme of unified grading has 335W been introduced. Below that level it is proposed to concentrate resources at the present time on the extension of the system of broad categories and occupational groups—which has already been introduced for over half the non-industrial Civil Service—and on the development of personnel management practices aimed at flexible deployment of staff in the interests of efficiency and personal development.
The report also describes other important developments in personnel management, including training. Finally, it refers to progress made on recruitment, describes the new system for premature retirement and reports on proposals for improving the working environment in the Civil Service.
The report will be widely distributed within the Civil Service with a view 10 discussion at the annual conferences of the staff associations to be held in the late spring.