§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current total of public servants employed by local authorities in England and Wales and the total in 1964 and the percentage increase or decrease between the two dates.
§ Mr. OakesThe total number of local government employees, full-time and part-time was 1,772,000 in June 1964 and—provisionally—2,567,000 in June 1975. The two figures are not precisely comparable, however, because a substantial number of employees were transferred out of local government during this period to bodies responsible for health services, water and public transport. But over the period in question total local government manpower has been growing at an average rate of 3½–4 per cent. each year.