§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants of the following grades were in post in his Department on 1 April and how many he expects to be in post in his Department on 1 April 1981. 1 April 1982 and 1 April 1983: permanent secretary, deputy secretary, under-secretary and assistant secretary.
§ Mr. David MitchellOn 1 April the senior staff in my Department, including those providing a common service to the Department of Trade, comprised 2 permanent secretaries, 10 deputy secretaries, 48 under-secretaries and 70 assistant secretaries. Details of staffing forecasts for 1 April next and the following year are still in preparation and I cannot say at this stage what the numbers in these grades are expected to be. I intend to ensure that further savings in posts at these levels continue to be approximately in proportion to the total planned rundown.