§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will illustrate and detail the reductions in establishments caused by the reductions in Civil Service staff costs projected for 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80 in Table 1.4 of Command Paper No. 6393.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisIn the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Jones) and the hon. Member for St. Ives (Mr. Nott) [Official Report, 29th July 1976, Vol. 916, c. 383–7], I announced that the Government had identified savings, at 1975 survey prices, of £95 million in 1978–79 and £36 million in 1977–78 in expenditure on Civil Service manpower and related administration against the targets set out in Cmnd. 6393. The consequential savings in 1978–80 are £90 million. My replies gave a breakdown of the savings by individual departments. To these figures must be added the further economies of £30 million in 1977–78 and £10 million in 1978–79, at 1976 Survey prices, announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15th December 1976 (Vol. 922, c. 1527–8). In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 11th March 1977 (Vol. 927, c. 677–8), I gave a breakdown by department of the allocation of the £30 million savings in 1977–78.
Without these economies, together with those resulting from the defence review, the Civil Service might have been expected to number 785,000 to 790,000 by 1978–79, compared with the actual figure of 738,000 for 1st January 1978; the corresponding 1st April 1976 figure was 747,600. These reductions in Civil Service numbers have been achieved despite the effects of unemployment and inflation on the staffing requirements of the Departments of Employment and Health and Social Security, and the Inland Revenue. Departments have achieved economies by the elimination of tasks of lower priority, simplifying procedures, close attention to staff inspection, and a continuing search for economy in administrative costs. Details of specific savings in individual departments are a matter for the Minister concerned.