§ Mr. Sutcliffeasked the Prime Minister if he has received Sir Henry Hardman's report on the dispersal of Government work; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes; and I should like to thank Sir Henry Hardman for undertaking this task, and for the thoroughness with which he has carried it out.
172WIn the past 10 years decisions have been taken to transfer from or create outside London 50,000 posts in Government work. Sir Henry Hardman has been looking to see what scope there is for taking this process a stage further.
The work that he has reviewed is mainly policy work, which has hitherto been carried out in headquarters offices and has been regarded as necessarily tied to London. In deciding whether this work is to be dispersed, and where it should go, it is necessary to balance the need to increase opportunities for office work in other parts of the country, and particularly in the assisted areas, against the impact of dispersal upon the efficiency of the service. And, of course, the most careful thought must be given to the consequences of dispersal for the lives and well-being of the staff and their families.
Over the coming months Ministers will consult representatives of the staff concerned on the recommendations which Sir Henry Hardman has submitted as a basis for discussion. The proposals in his report would not lead to any significant redundancy. I should expect to publish the report in due course and to announce the Government's decisions on it during the summer.