HC Deb 05 June 1980 vol 985 cc825-7W
Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any of the 1,705 staff savings in his Department and the 275 in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys announced on 6 December 1979 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. Patrick Jenkin

Part of the reduction in administration costs in DHSS may be found from non-manpower savings. Expressed wholly in terms of posts, an estimated breakdown of the savings by economic planning region is as follows:

DHSS OPCS
Northern 198
Yorks and Humberside 113
East Midlands 73
East Anglia 33
South East 658 193
South West 88
West Midlands 108
North West 235 82
Wales 73
Scotland 125
Total 1,704 275
It is estimated that some 490 posts in DHSS, and 50 in OPCS will be saved in the grade of executive officer—or equivalent—or above and the remainder in the grade of clerical officer or below.

Of the DHSS figure the equivalent of 1,150 posts is expected to be saved in the local office organisation, 200 in the central offices at Newcastle and North Fylde and artificial limb and appliance centres and some 350 in headquarters.

The OPCS savings will be made as follows: establishments 76, marriages and registration 25, medical statistics six, NHS register 70, population statistics 15, computer division 29, census 30 and social survey 24.

Savings of over 250 posts in DHSS and 50 posts in OPCS have been made to date. The remainder will be achieved progressively by April 1984.

Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which divisions, at what grades and in what geographical area the 2,167 posts by which the staff in post in his Department contracted between 1 April 1979 and 1 April 1980 were employed.

Mr. Patrick Jenkin

An analysis of the reduction of 2,160 posts is shown in the following table. There is an element of approximation where the economic planning regions and DHSS regions do not coincide.

STAFF IN POST—DIFFERENCE BY GRADE BETWEEN 1 APRIL 1979 AND 1 APRIL 1980
Economic Region HEOand above EO* CO* CA Others Total difference
Northern:
Local Office Organisation +1 +40 −173 −69 +3 −198
Newcastle Central Office −5 +19 −272 −210 +27 −441
−4 +59 −445 −279 +30 −639
Yorkshire and Humberside:
Local Office Organisation −1 −19 −161 −87 +11 −257
East Midland:
Local Office Organisation −8 +30 −119 −10 +7 −100
Special Hospital −1 +34 +33
−8 +30 −120 −10 +41 −67
East Anglia:
Local Office Organisation −3 +13 −51 −4 +3 −42
South East:
Local Office Organisation +13 +300 −146 +142 +32 +341
Headquarters −91 −79 −134 −102 −159 −565
Special Hospital −1 −1 +34 +32
Youth Treatment Centre +17 +17
−78 +221 −281 +39 −76 −175
South West:
Local Office Organisation −12 −24 −176 −21 −5 −238
West Midlands:
Local Office Organisation −7 −14 −236 −48 −5 −310
Youth Treatment Centre +9 +9
−7 −14 −236 −48 +4 −310
North West:
Local Office Organisation +9 +36 −396 −123 −12 −486
North Fylde Central Office +10 −20 −51 −7 −20 −109
Special Hospitals +2 +2 −2 −2 +69 +69
ALACS −1 +2 +10 +21 −3 +29
+20 −439 −111 +33 −497
Wales:
Local Office Organisation −5 +13 −20 −48 −2 −62
Scotland:
Local Office Organisation −7 +93 −19 +43 +3 +107
Livingston Computer Centre +3 +1 +7 +11
−7 +96 −18 +43 +4 +118
TOTAL −125 +395 −1,947 −526 +43 −2,160
* The figures for EO and CO include the Departmental grades of Local officer I and II respectively