§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many persons are employed on radio interference services throughout the United Kingdom; and what is (a) the annual cost of their salaries and (b) the other annual cost of continuing this service; and how these figures have changed over the past five years.
460W
§ Mr. FletcherIncluding managerial and clerical support and those employed in it part-time there are over 300 full-time equivalent posts in the radio interference service. As this service is contracted out on an agency basis, involving aggregation of certain costs such as pay, pensions, accommodation etc., it is not possible to provide the annual salary costs. The annual cost of this service over the last five years was as follows:
£ million 1979–80 4.3 1980–81 6.1 1981–82 8.2 1982–83 8.6 1983–84 9.2