§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will now make a further statement on the dispersal of Civil Service employment from London to the North-West Region.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerAs I told the hon. Member on 19th October 1973—[Vol. 861, c. 292]—4,180 Civil Service posts have been moved from London to the North-West Region since the last dispersal initiative in 1963, and 330 more are due to go under existing plans. These figures do not include the National Giro—3,000 posts—which was set up in Bootle under Government office location policies but is no longer a Government Department. Places in the region are among those being considered in relation to the proposals in the Hardman Report, on which we shall announce decisions as soon as possible.