§ Q50. Mr. Joel Barnettasked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her statement on 13 May, what management techniques she used to decide that 75,000 was precisely the right number by which to reduce the size of the Civil Service.
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§ The Prime MinisterThe figure of 75,000 further reductions was our best judgment of what was feasible and desirable in the light of all the evidence. We have already identified a number of savings, which were announced on 6 December by my right hon. and noble Friend the Lord President of the Council. There will be more to come from particular studies and reviews now in hand. We also took into account evidence on the scope for additional savings from such areas as staff inspection reports and Sir Derek Rayner's scrutinies of departmental expenditure.