§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the current annual salary bill for the Pay Board and Price Commission; and what is the percentage change in this bill since these two bodies were established.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonBased on the initial estimates of the salary for the total number of staff required for the Pay Board and Price Commission and that for the number of staff in post on 28th February 1974, the information for both bodies combined is as follows:
§ Mr. Robert SheldonBased on the initial estimates of the total number of staff required for the Pay Board and Price Commission and the number of staff in post on 28th February 1974 the information for both bodies combined is as follows:
to Bedford and Farnborough; and how this estimate is made up.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe transfer of flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough is part of a complex of moves. The cost cannot therefore be realistically considered except as a whole.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the administrative costs to date of organising the transfer of flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough, including meetings, travel expenses and part-time effort.
§ Mr. William RodgersIt is not possible to identify these costs without disproportionate effort.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what, if any, items 217W in the original plan to transfer flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough are being deferred until a later date; and what will be their costs.
§ Mr. William RodgersIt remains the intention to transfer all the flying and associated work away from Pershore. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the latest reliable estimates for the actual savings incurred by transferring flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe transfer of flying and other work from RRE Per-shore and Malvern to RAE Farnborough and Bedford will contribute towards overall savings of about £1½ million a year from the first stage of rationalisation of R & D Establishments. Further savings will arise from the merger of the RRE and RAE fleets of aircraft.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of the fact that not more than 12 craftsmen are willing to transfer from RRE Pershore and that the RAE Farnborough have been advertising for craftsmen for months without success, if he is satisfied that sufficient staff will be available to perform the additional work implied by transfering flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to RAE Farnborough.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe task to be transferred from Pershore to Farnborough represents an addition of only 5 per cent of that establishment's strength of skilled craftsmen and I do not think that an insuperable problem will arise.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the cost in time and money of putting new work, as a result of the transfer of flying and work from RRE Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough, out to private contractors; and what is the current cost of putting similar work out to contract from RAE Farnborough.
§ Mr. William RodgersIt is not planned to put additional work out to contract as218W a result of the move from Pershore and Malvern to Bedford and Farnborough.
§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence why the staff at RRE Pershore were not consulted about the decision to move a large proportion of the aircraft and work to Bedford instead of Farnborough, despite official assurances that full consultation would take place at every stage.
§ Mr. William RodgersI understand that there was full consultation about the closure of Pershore and the proposed move of work to RAE Farnborough. The need to modify the plan to move some of Pershore's work to RAE Bedford was notified to the staff, and to the hon. Member's predecessor, in September 1973 and there have since been a number of discussions with the staff when the reasons for the change which will not take effect for two years, were fully explained.