§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of the 450 computers at present in use in local government in England and Wales; and by what number the total local government staff has reduced or increased since computerisation commenced.
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§ Mr. Guy BarnettMy Department has no information on the cost of computers in use by local authorities. Local authority staff numbers have increased by about 1 million in the period since 1960, but this figure is the consequence of increases in demand for services and does not directly reflect any consequences of computerisation.