§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Minister for the Civil Service how many scientists took part in the senior professional administrative training scheme for the Civil Service in each of the past six years; if he is satisfied with the number of scientists being recruited into the Civil Service; and what action he is taking to overcome the shortage of scientists entering Government Departments.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe information is as follows:
1973 13 1974 16 1975 8 1976 5 1977 6 1978 4 I regard this steady reduction in interest as disappointing: the response from other specialist groups remains high. I am not entirely satisfied with the number of scientists being recruited. As announced in the White Paper"Review of the Framework for Government Research and Development"(Cmnd. 7499) published on 7 March, a review of the recruitment, structure and management of the scientific Civil Service has been set in hand. Invitations to the relevant interests, including unions and professional bodies, to give evidence will issue shortly.