Lord Hawkeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the decrease in the number of civil servants since the present Government took office; and to what extent the decrease results from the substitution of contractors' labour for Civil Service labour.
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Young)Latest figures show that the number of civil servants has fallen by 79,800 since the Government took office. Information to show the extent of the decrease which has resulted from the substitution of contractors' labour for Civil Service labour is not kept centrally.