HC Deb 23 May 1980 vol 985 cc384-5W
Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Lord Privy Seal what was the staff establishment of his Department on 1 April 1979 and on 1 April of the current year; and what was the shortfall on these figures, if any, and the grades and geographical regions where the shortfall occurred.

Mr. Hurd

The staff establishment of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Diplomatic Service—including the Overseas Development Administration—on 1 April 1979 was 12,405 and on 1 April 1980 was 11,880. The corresponding shortfalls were 366 and 315, mainly in the clerical and secretarial grades in London.