§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the staff establishment of his Department on 1 April 1979 and on 1 April of the cur rent year; and what was the shortfall on these figures, if any, and the grades and geographical regions where the shortfall occurred.
§ Mr. Mayhew[pursuant to his reply, 2 June 1980, c. 439–40]: In the DE group the estimates provision at 1.4.79 and 1.4.80 was 54,789 and 52,415 respectively, the shortfalls at these dates were 1,240 and 1,712. About 80 per cent. of the shortfall at both dates was in the executive, clerical, typing and secretarial grades. The remainder included about 100 posts at both dates in specialist and professional classes. I regret that a geographical analysis is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Employment if any of the 2,575 staff savings in his Department, the 3,400 in the Manpower Services Commission, the 260 in the Health and Safety Executive and the 100 in the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service have yet been made; and, if not, when he expects them to be achieved and in what divisions, at what grades, and in which geographical regions.
§ Mr. Mayhew[pursuant to his reply, 2 June 1980, c. 439–40]: To date savings in numbers and costs equivalent to some 2,525 staff have been made in the DE group, leaving a balance of about 3,810 to find, most of which will be achieved by 1 April 1982. These further savings will be made in the Department of Employment (1,100), Manpower Services Commission (2,500), Health and Safety Executive (160) and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (50). The details of how these further savings are to 706W be achieved are still being worked out and it is therefore not possible to provide analyses by grade and region.
§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Employment in which divisions, at what grades and in what geographical area the 3,605 posts by which the staff in post in his Department contracted between 1 April 1979 and 1 April 1980 were employed.
§ Mr. Mayhew[pursuant to his reply, 2 June 1980, c. 439–40]: Between 1 April 1979 and 1 April 1980 the number of permanent staff in the DE group fell from 53,605 to 50,701, a reduction of 2,904. The changes during this period in the various parts of the group were:
Department of Employment Unemployment Benefit Service —2,252 Other functions —359 Total —2,611 Manpower Services Division Employment Services Division —177 Training Services Division —276 Special Programmes Division + 264 Total —189 Health and Safety Commission/ Executive —60 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service —44 Grand Total 2,904 The grades mainly affected were Clerical/Executive Officer —2,623 Higher Executive Officer and above —47 Typing, Secretarial —40 Industrial —148 Others —46 Total 2,904 It is estimated that during this period the changes by economic planning regions were as follows:
Northern —240 Yorkshire and Humberside + 60 South East —1,090 East Anglia —40 South West —220 Wales —60 East Midlands —160 West Midlands —210 North West —570 Scotland —370 —2,900 The figures for Yorkshire and Humberside and South East regions were affected by the transfer of some 350 staff to MSC's new head office in Sheffield.