§ Mr. Kenneth Bakerasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the staff establishment of the population bureau of the Overseas Development Agency; how long the post of programme officer has been vacant; how long the post is likely to remain vacant; and what effect the lack of an officer has had on the development of potential and existing population projects.
§ Mr. Neil MartenThe establishment is six, of which five posts are filled. The programme officer post has been vacant since September 1978, although a temporary appointment was made between September 1978 and May 1979. Recruitment action was halted in May by the Government's moratorium on recruitment. It will be reviewed in the light of the Government's policy on staffing economies in the Civil Service. The absence of a programme officer has resulted in some increase in the time taken to monitor existing projects and to prepare new ones; but this effect has been offset by the reduction in planned aid expenditure.
§ Sir John Langford-Holtasked the Lord Privy Seal how much aid has been given during each of the past two years through the Overseas Development Agency; and to which countries and in what amounts this aid has been given.
§ Mr. Neil MartenI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-386W Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd) on 25 May 1979.—[Vol. 967, c. 290–92.] A more detailed breakdown of 1977 aid expenditure is to be found in "British Air Statistics, 1973–77", a copy of which is in the Library. I expect similarly detailed figures for 1978 to be published in February next.