HC Deb 09 February 1981 vol 998 cc278-80W
Mr. Ray Powell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of employees in his Department on 1 April 1974 and at 31 December 1980.

Mr. Heseltine

The numbers of permanent staff employed in my Department including the Property Services Agency at the dates requested were:

Non-industrial Industrial TOTAL
1 April 1974 31,087 26,378 57,465
1 January 1981 27,485.5 19,144.5 46,630

Staff formerly in the Department of the Environment and now in the Department of Transport have been excluded from the 1974 figures.

Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the total number of administrative staff employed by his Department at the level of assistant secretary and above, classified by rank, in May 1977, May 1978, May 1979, May 1980 and December 1980.

Mr. Heseltine

For my Department, including the PSA, the numbers of administrative staff in the open structure and of assistant secretaries referred to in the question are as follows:

previously undertaken by these individuals is now (a) undertaken elsewhere in his Department, (b) undertaken in another Government Department, (c) undertaken by private contracts or (d) no longer undertaken;

(3) if he will list in the Official Report the total number of administrative employees in each section and division of his Department, and the Property Services Agency, in December 1980; and if he will give comparable figures for each section and division for May 1979.

Mr. Heseltine

For each directorate or main group in my Department, including the Property Services Agency, the numbers of staff employed in the open structure and in grades between executive officer and assistant secretary in the general category at 1 May 1979 and 1 December 1980 and the net change between these dates are listed on the table attached.

Reduced staffing levels in some directorates were due partly to organisation changes within the Department, while the general decline in staff numbers followed from improvements in efficiency and the curtailment of unnecessary functions. No work has been transferred to other Government Departments and as yet little to private contracts.

Directorate/Group 1 May 1979 1 December 1980 Gain or Loss
Central DOE
Planning Inspectorate 65 69 +4
District Audit 297 270.5 -26.5
Senior Staff Management 1 54 +13
Personnel Management 333 308 -25
Manpower/Management Services 396 355 -41
Information 8 7 -1
Local Government 38 39 +1
Statistics 78 57 -21
Economics/Statistics A 1 -1
Economics/Statistics B 26 29 +3
Economics/Statistics C 4 2 -2
Legal A 9 8 -1
Legal B 1 1 0
Research Operations 18 4 -14
Science and Research Policy 2 5 +3
Building Research Establishment 27 27 0
Hydraulics Research Station 5 4 -1
Development Plans and Regional Policy 28 25 -3
Planning Land Use Policy 81 72 -9
Community Land Act Advisory Team 3 -3
New Towns 28 26 -2
Inner Cities 23 25 +2
Land Economy 5 4 -1
Planning Intelligence 30 25 -5
Central Policy and Resources 4 22 +18
Local Government Finance Policy 52 47 -5
Housing, Water and Central Finance 107 104 -3
Construction Industry 38 37 -1
Housing'A' 20 38 +18
Housing 'B' 33 19 -14
Housing 'C' 38.5 30 -8.5
Housing 'D' 43 41 -2
Housing Development 11 12 +1
Sport and Recreation 12 10 -2
Greater London Housing and Planning 66 66 0
Rural Affairs 39 34 -5
Ancient Monuments and Historic
Buildings 103 101 -2
Yorkshire and Humberside Region 58 51 -7
North West Region 87 82 -5
Northern Region 56 55 -1
East Midlands Region 62 52 -10
West Midlands Region 68.5 62.5 -6
South West Region 60 58 -2
South East Region 109 90 -19
Eastern Region 67 57 -10
Environmental Protection 129 117 -12
Countryside Commission 24 20 -4
Rent Assessment Panels 67 68 +1
Others 60 64.5 +4.5
Total 2,961 2,754.5 -206.5

Directorate/Group 1 May 1979 1 December* 1980 Gain or Loss
Property Services Agency
Establishments and Secretariat 239 206 -33
Finance 221 213 -8
Civil Accommodation 75 64 -11
Estate Surveying Services 39 24 -15
Home Regional Services 44 37 -7
Scottish Services 101 90 -11
Central Office for Wales 58 56 -2
North-East Region 62 59 -3
Eastern Region 62 53 -9
South-East Region 59 61 +2
Southern Region 70 68 -2
South-West Region 78 82 +4
Midland Region 74 70 4
North-West Region 64 62 -2
London Region 163 171 +8
Diplomatic and Post Office
Services 58 47 -11
Defence Services I 139 140 +1
Defence Services II 92 82 -10
Design Office 36 28 -8
Supplies 243 214 -29
Total 1,977 1,827 -150
* Figures exclude staff engaged wholly on work for US Forces.