§ Mr. Brocklebank-Fowlerasked the Minister of Overseas Development what is the total number of staff which has left the Directorate of Overseas Surveys since the Government decision in November 1977 to introduce a policy of dispersal; and if she will publish in the Official Report paragraphs 4 and 5 from the annual report of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys Whitley Committee for 1978.
437W
§ 5. Mrs. HartFrom 18 November 1977 to 31 January 1979, 69 staff left. The following is the extract requested:
"4 Stag Wastage
During the year there have been 38 resignations, 6 retirements (3 of whom have been re-employed), 6 transfers to other Departments and 2 deaths. Following the Minister's statement on relocation in November 1977 it took a little while before resignations started to increase. In the six months April to September 21 cartographic grade staff resigned compared to 5 in the previous six months. This represents a loss 22 times greater than the average of losses of cartographic staff by resignation from the other four Government Departments which are major employers of cartographers. These increased losses by resignation and transfer must be attributed to relocation. The cost of training a cartographer is now about £10,000 spread over the first two years of service. The cost of training replacements for these extra losses will be £340,000 and there is no indication that the impetus to leave the Directorate has run out of steam.
Recruitment
The following recruitment has taken place during the year:
Basic Grade Cartographers: 30 by open competition which attracted 78 candidates: they are now in training.
Surveyors, Joint Survey Services: 2 by open competition.
The intake in other grades has been 1 Assistant Map Officer, 1 Senior Photographer, 3 Photographers, 1 Provisioning and Investigating Officer, 3 Clerical Officers, an Assistant Storekeeper, 2 Messengers and 1 Photoprinter.
Our efforts to recruit school leavers in the Strathclyde region to train as cartographers producer very disappointing results. An advertisement in the Glasgow Herald and approaches to Careers Officers produced only about 35 applicants of whom 5 were finally successful. The Senior Careers Officer to the Strathclyde Regional Council has commented that 'the bulk of our unemployed young people are not those with four good 'O' grades.'".