HC Deb 21 May 1980 vol 985 cc207-8W
57. Mr. Hal Miller

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are his present plans for reducing the number of civil servants.

59. Mr. Straw

asked the Minister for the Civil Service by how many persons the Government now intend to reduce the size of the Civil Service during the lifetime of the present Parliament.

67. Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants he expects will be in post on 1 April 1984.

Mr. Channon

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 13 May.

62. Mr. Wigley

asked the Minister for Civil Service how many civil service posts in all Departments have been abolished in Wales since 3 May 1979.

Mr. Channon

I can only give the hon. Member figures from 1 January 1979—1 January 1980, since information on the location of industrial civil servants is collected annually as at 1 January. At 1 January 1980 there were 39,200 civil servants in Wales, a reduction of 1,500 since 1 January 1979.

65. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what further reduction he intends to make in the number of civil servants in the next two years; and how many of these will be in Scotland.

Mr. Channon

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 13 May, we intend to bring down the number of civil servants to about 630,000 over the next four years. Ministers are now drawing up plans for their own Departments and it is too early to say how many of the further savings will be made in the next two years or in Scotland.

66. Mr. John Browne

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the size of the Civil Service at the last convenient date; and how this compares with a similar date one year ago.

Mr. Channon

At 1 April 1980, there were 705,000 staff in post in Government Departments. This represents a reduction of 27,200 since 1 April 1979 when the corresponding figure was 732,300.