§ Mr. Lofthouseasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employees there are in local authority public works departments in Yorkshire; and what is his estimate of the number of re- 40W dundancies likely to occur as a result of Government proposals.
§ Mr. KingThis information is not available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, local authorities in Yorkshire employ some 13,000 people in their direct labour organisations, supported by approximately 6,000 administrative, professional, technical and clerical grades. Their responsibilities include the construction and maintenance of local authority properties, roads and highways.
It is for each local authority to deter- mine its future manpower requirements in the light of the Government's decision to reduce the level of public expenditure.