§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current staff establishment of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory; how this compares with 1976 and 1977; and what plans there are for 1979, distinguishing between (a) qualified scientists, (b) technicians, and (c) administrative and ancillary staff.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe information is set out in the table below. The target complements for 1st April 1978 and 1st April 1979 are the same, but owing to a cessation of recruitment over the period during which manpower cuts were being applied, the staff-in-post numbers have fallen below the target. Recruitment has now been resumed and numbers will increase in the current year.
introduced to achieve a balanced slimming of science group staff in the DOE/DTp Research command, which includes both BRE and TRRL, consequent upon the Government's decision to reduce Civil Service staff numbers.
These measures involved the reduction of the science group retirement age from 65 to 60, with safeguards for those with short service and a limited number of voluntary premature retirements on public interest terms. In addition promotion in 1977 was at only a little over 40 per cent. of the rate in the immediately preceding years. In 1978 it is hoped to improve the rate substantially and from 1979 onwards the promotions for scientists should be at a rate close to that prevailing previously.