§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total uniformed manpower of the Armed Services and the numbers of industrial and non-industrial civil servants on the Defence Vote for each of the years 1954, 1964 and 1974 and the estimated levels for 1980.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe total numbers of uniformed manpower in the Armed Services including non-United Kingdom personnel for whom provision was made on Defence Votes as at 1st April 1954, 1964 and 1974 were 926,600, 454,000 and 358,500 respectively. The number of industrial and non-industrial civil servants for whom provision was made on Defence Votes as at 1st April 1954, 1964 and 1974 were 465,000, 406,000 and 296,000 respectively.
These civilian figures are not directly comparable because of large-scale transfers of departmental responsibilities over the period. The estimated levels for 1980 for both uniformed and civilian manpower will reflect the reductions announced in the statement on 3rd December 1974, but until final decisions have been taken and detailed planning has been completed I cannot give figures.