§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest official estimate of the net increase in local government staff which has taken place in England and Wales since April 1973, taking into account transfer of National Health Service and water supply personnel.
§ Mr. OakesNo figures are available at April 1973.
At mid-June 1973 and mid-June 1975, the numbers employed by local authorities in England and Wales, excluding police civilians, cadets, traffic wardens, magistrates' courts, probation and agency staff, were 2,454,000 and 2,572,000 respectively.
It is estimated that over this period there was a gross increase in local authority staff of about 208,000. But as some 90,000 employees were transferred to the National Health Service, to the water industry, school health services and passenger transport executives on local government reorganisation in April 1974, the net increase to local government was 118,000.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the total 176W number of staff employed by local authorities in the United Kingdom for each year from 1960 to 1975; and how these figures were affected by National Health Service and water supply reorganisation in 1973.
§ Mr. OakesThe information is as follows:
000's 1960 1,741 1961 1,788 1962 1,855 1963 1,922 1964 2,000 1965 2,063 1966 2,163 1967 2,253 1968 2,330 1969 2,388 1970 2,431 1971 2,506 1972 2,624 1973 2,741 1974 2,705 1975 (provisional) 2,851 The figure for 1974 excludes a net total of about 48,000 staff transferred to the National Health Service, and about 29,000 transferred to water authorities on reorganisation in England and Wales on 1st April 1974. It also excludes 38,000 health staff and 2,000 employed on water services in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the total number of people employed in local government, including water boards, for each of the years 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.
§ Mr. OakesThe following numbers were employed by local authorities and water boards in England at mid June each year:
Thousands 1970 2,061* 1971 2,128* 1972 2,228* 1973 2,336* 1974 2,353† 1975 2,474† * Includes 8,000 employed by river authorities. † Includes employees of Regional Water Authorities—at mid June 1975, estimated at 53,400. NOTE. The 1974 total was affected by the transfer of employees on the reorganisation of local government, the water industry and the National Health Service.