§ Mr. Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed by his Department in March 1974; how many are employed now; and what increase, if any, he expects for the rest of the current year and 1976.
§ Mr. Roy Jenkins28,696 on 1st April 1974 and 32,327 on 1st October 1975. The 1st April 1974 figure does not include 348 staff subsequently transferred to the Home Office from the former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The Estimates for 1975–76 make provision for 32,460 staff by 31st March 1976. It is not possible at this stage to say what provision for staff will be authorised in the 1976–77 Estimates.
§ Mr. Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public relations officers were employed by his Department in March 1974; how many are employed now; whether he expects to recruit any more during the rest of 1975 and 1976; and what are the salaries of those he has recruited and expects to recruit.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe strength of the public relations branch of the Home Office was 21 on 31st March 1974 and 25 on 4th November 1975. Two additional officers are currently being recruited. There are no plans to recruit further staff during the rest of 1975 and 1976.
The four staff added since 31st March 1974 have salaries on the national scale £3,900–£4,700. The national scale for one of the staff being recruited is £1,885–£3,670 and for the other it is £3,900–£4,700.
§ Mr. Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of vacancies in his Department for which recruits are required but which have not yet been filled.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe Estimates for 1975–76 make provision for the filling by 31st March 1976 of 133 of the posts vacant on 1st October 1975.
§ Mr. Ian Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons any extra staff have been 308W recruited since March 1974 and the present time; and for what reasons any extra staff will be recruited for the rest of 1975 and 1976.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe extra staff have been required to fill vacancies and to meet additional operational commitments, mainly in the Prison Service, the Immigration and Nationality Department, including the Immigration Service, and the support services—telecommunications, training, forensic science and computers—for the police and fire services. To the extent that extra staff are authorised for 1976–77 they will be largely employed in these areas.