§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the proposed reductions in the number of civil servants employed in his Department; and what reductions so far have been carried out.
§ Mr. YoungerThe statement on reductions in the Civil Service made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Civil Service Department, on 6 December 1979, referred to a table which included a reduction by 1982–83 of 690 staff in the Scottish Office. The reductions in staff numbers to bring about a 2½ per cent. reduction in staffing costs in 1980–81 have not yet been determined. The staff of the Scottish Office, excluding the prison service and the State hospital, has been reduced by 373 in the period between 1 May 1979 and 31 March 1980.