§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Advocate what is the current number of civil servants in his Department; and what was the number in 1964 and the percentage increase or decrease between the two dates.
The Lord AdvocateThe total number of civil servants in my London department is currently 16 as compared with 12 in 1964. This represents an increase of 33⅓ per cent.
The figure for my department in Edinburgh, which includes the staff of the procurator fiscal service throughout Scotland, is currently 557½ as compared with 197 in 1964. This increase of 183 per cent. is largely due to the passing of the District Courts (Scotland) Act 1975 which increased my responsibility for prosecutions in Scotland.