HC Deb 27 July 1977 vol 936 cc359-60W
Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he employs 1,125 gardeners; and in which offices of his Department they are employed.

Mr. Marks

To maintain adequately the large number of parks and grounds for which the Department is responsible. These include Royal parks, gardens, sports grounds, amenity areas around barracks, communal areas in married quarters estates and sites of ancient monuments. The distribution of numbers of gardeners/groundsmen is:

Royal parks 423
Ancient monument 27
DOE research establishments 7
Property Services Agency (by region)
Scotland 78
Wales 20
London 37
North-East 83
North-West 80
Eastern 42
Midland 91
South-East 65
Southern 109
South-West 63

Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many gardeners were employed by his Department in each year since 1970.

Mr. Marks

The information is not readily available in the form requested, but the numbers of gardeners/groundsmen employed in the Department at various dates were:

March 1971 … … 1,296
January 1975 … … 1,120
January 1976 … … 1,174
January 1977 … … 1,125