§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many rent officers were in service in each financial year since 1979–80; how many have been recruited to deal with extra work resulting from the change in the rent review period from three years to two and the abolition of controlled tenancies, respectively; and what has been the additional cost.
§ Sir George YoungThe number of rent officers in post were as follows:
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Numbers 31 March 1980 full-time officers 470 part-time officers 3 Total 471.5 31 March 1981 full-time officers 469 part-time officers 3 Total 470.5
Numbers 31 March 1982 full-lime officers 457 part-time officer 1 Total 457.5 31 March 1983 full-time officers 464 part-time officer 1 Total 464.5 30 September 1983 full-time officers 469 part-time officer 1 Total 469.5 The marginal addition of 12 posts since 31 March 1982, at an estimated annual cost of £202,000 has been needed to cope with an increasd workload which cannot be related wholly to any particular changes introduced by the Housing Act 1980. However, since 31 March 1980 the total number of rent officers has been reduced by two posts.
In the period 1979–80 to 1982–83 the annual output of the rent officer service in England rose from 349,423 to 418, 946 decisions, an increase of 19.9 per cent. Over the same period the cost per case was reduced by 25.2 per cent.