§ Sir David Priceasked the Lord Privy Seal how many civil servants were employed by his Department in May 1979; how many are employed in February 1982; and what has been the percentage change; in each case how many were first division civil servants; and what has been the percentage change in their numbers.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsThe payroll of the Diplomatic Service/Foreign and Commonwealth Office—including the Passport Office and the Overseas Development Administration—stood at 10,287 and 9,444 respectively on 1 April 1979 and 1 January 1982, the closest dates for which figures are available. The reduction, despite a 14.5 per cent. increase in the Passport Office, was 8.2 per cent. Corresponding figures for the number of officers at DS5, principal and equivalent professional grades and above, are 1,466 and 1,285, a reduction of 11.1 per cent.