HC Deb 07 June 1976 vol 912 cc538-9W
Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many staff are expected to be employed by local authorities in England and Wales in road planning departments in 1977 and 1976, respectively;

(2) how many staff are employed by local authorities in England and Wales in road planning departments; and how many staff were employed by such departments in each year since and including 1965.

Dr. Gilbert

Information about the total number of local authority staff employed in road planning departments is not available centrally.

Local authorities are responsible for planning the size and disposition of their workforces in the light of individual circumstances and of the constraints of national policy which require an overall standstill in expenditure in 1976–77.

Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many staff are employed by the local transportation and roads section of his Department; and how many staff were employed by this section in each year since and including 1965;

(2) how many staff are expected to be employed by the local transporation and roads section of his Department in 1976 and 1977, respectively.

Dr. Gilbert

The Local Transportation and Roads Directorate was set up in December 1974 to continue work on local and urban transportation policy, traffic management, and the technical and policy aspects of local authorities' Transport Policies and Programmes. Staff in post on 1st April 1975 were 66. Subsequently the Directorate has assumed responsibility for policy and administration of local authorities' transport supplementary grant and for concessionary fares schemes. Staff in post on 1st April 1976 were 76. Some decrease is likely in 1977.