§ Mr. McKelveyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many jobs have been lost in local government in England since May 1979;
(2) what is the total number of employees in local government services both part-time and full-time; what percentage reduction this is on figures for May 1979; and when numbers were at these levels last.
§ Mr. KingThe following information is taken from the June 1979 and September 1982 returns of the Joint Manpower Watch surveys for local authorities in England:
Full-time Part-time Total June 1979 1,626,372 886,232 2,512,604 September 1982 1,548,609 790,200 2,338,809 Reduction over the Period -77,763 -96,032 -173,795 -4.8 per cent. -10.8 per cent. -6.9 per cent. After making reasonable allowance for differences in the surveys conducted before and since 1975, the total number of staff (full-time and part-time) at September 1982 is the lowest recorded since June 1972.
§ Mr. McKelveyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the projected drop in the total number of employees in local government.
§ Mr. KingLocal authorities decide on the manpower needed to meet their own expenditure plans, and their projections are not available centrally.