§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff training conferences his Department has held during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and organisers of courses.
§ Dr. GilbertThe full information requested cannot be made available without disproportionate effort and expense. Courses are mounted in a wide variety of relevant subjects and the numbers provided by the Departments in each of the last five years are as follows:
1972* … … 3,795 1973* … … 3,897 1974 … … 4,868 1975 … … 5,667 1976 … … 5,598 Travelling expenses, allowances to participants, accommodation expenses and salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers are all within the limits 748W laid down in the appropriate Civil Service regulations.
For statistical purposes Civil Service training is categorised under the four headings Induction, Vocational, Management and Background; and for the Ministry of Defence the share of total training time falling within these categories is currently 6 per cent. 58 per cent. 22 per cent. and 14 per cent. respectively.
* These figures include courses run by the Civil Service College. Separate figures are not available for courses run by Departments in those years.
§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to devising less costly methods of effectively and efficiently training staff; and whether consideration will now be given to use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential conferences.
§ Dr. GilbertThe Department continually endeavours to ensure that the most cost-effective methods are used in the training of its staff, including self-instruction in appropriate circumstances.
§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department for the foreseeable future; what is the subject planned to be discussed at each of them; where they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to the participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.
§ Dr. GilbertThe existing pattern of Ministry of Defence training will be changed next year to reflect reductions in staff numbers although we expect that the total number of courses, broadly categorised under the headings of Induction, Vocational, Management and Background, mounted by the Department will continue to be taken at a rate of about 5,000 per year.
The cost-effectiveness of training programmes is kept under continuous review. Travelling expenses, allowances to participants, accommodation expenses and salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers are all within the limits 749W laid down in the appropriate Civil Service regulations.