§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give, for the latest and most convenient stated date, the total number of civil servants now employed in Government service and the total annual or weekly costs and salaries, expenses and pensions, and so on; and if he will publish similar details for 1 May 1979.
§ Mr. ChannonAt 1 October 1979, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 712,000 staff in post in Government Departments. The total cost of remuneration and pensions in the first week of that month was £80.8 million.
The number of staff in post is not available for 1 May 1979. At 1 April 1979 the corresponding figure was 732,000 and the cost in the first week of that month was £76 million.
The higher cost in October reflects the first stage of the pay settlement for industrial civil servants—from 1 July—and the second stage of the pay settlement for non-industrial civil servants—from 1 590W August—for which insufficient provision had been taken in the Supply Estimates presented by the previous Administration.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give, for the latest and most convenient period of time, the number of civil servants who claimed premature retirement or took normal retirement, their salaries at the time, and their pensions on retirement; and how many of these requested permission to take on other paid employment.
§ Mr. ChannonThe number of non-industrial civil servants who were retired prematurely or retired at or above the minimum retirement age in the three years 1976–78, is as follows:
Premature Retirements* Age Retirements 1976 … 2,718 15,274 1977 … 3,729 16,720 1978 … 3,538 12,732 * These figures include premature retirements on grounds of inefficiency, limited efficiency. redundancy, structural problems, ill-health. Salaries at the time of leaving varied with grade and seniority according to nationally agreed scales. Superannuation benefits, where appropriate, were those payable under the principal Civil Service pension scheme, and were determined by age, salary and length of service. My Department has no general record of the subsequent employment of former civil servants, but is consulted in cases of senior civil servants, and some others who seek permission under the business appointments rules to take up outside commercial appointments within two years of retirement or resignation. These figures are as follows:
Number of cases referred to the Civil Service Department of Home Civil Servants making applications under the business appointments rules—
1976 … … … … 35 1977 … … … … 47 1978 … … … … 77
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the names and positions of the 79 senior civil servants, of assistant secretary rank or above, who applied for permission to take private sector jobs in the period 1975 to 6 December 1979; and if he will also list the jobs which they applied for permission to take up, the date of the application, and the result of the application in each case.
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§ Mr. ChannonNo. It has never been the practice under successive Governments to give such details.