HC Deb 15 March 1984 vol 56 cc251-2W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount paid in wages and salaries to all persons employed in local government in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983; if he will show the 1982 figure and the 1983 figure as percentages of the 1979 figure; and what information he has as to how much was paid in each case to (a) chief and senior officers, (b) all other personnel, excluding (a) and manual workers and (c) manual workers, showing in each case 1982 and 1983 figures as a percentage of 1979 figures.

Mr. Waldegrave

Following is the available information on local authority employee costs in England:

£ million Percentage of 1978–79
1978–79 9,240 100
1979–80 10,950
1980–81 13,510
1981–82 15,050 163
1982–83 16,160 175

Note:

The figures cover employee costs in rate fund services, trading services, and the housing revenue account, and include wages and salaries, national insurance, employers superannuation contributions, and so on.

Outturn data held by the Department do not provide information on wages and salaries alone nor a break-down of employee costs into (i) chief and senior officers (ii) manual workers, (iii) others.

Mr. Wareing

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the numbers employed by all the local authorities in England in each of the years 1974 to 1983, inclusive.

Mr. Waldegrave

The information requested is as follows:

Local government manpower—England*
June Full-time Part-time Full-time equivalents
1974†‡ 1,492,968 806,356
1975 1,607,928 861,585 1,946,499
1976 1,624,678 857,160 1,963,968
1977 1,605,587 853,164 1,944,167
1978 1,600,133 868,716 1,943,191
1979 1,626,372 886,232 1,975,156
1980 1,609,073 865,828 1,951,008
1981 1,577,866 843,090 1,914,370
1982 1,551,960 840,891 1,887,175
1983 1,553,573 851,784 1,892,484
* Figures for 1974 are taken from the Employment Gazette and for 1975–83 from the "Local Authority Joint Manpower Watch" (which started in 1975). For consistency all figures relate to June of the year concerned.
† Figures for 1974 include police officers but exclude police civilians, cadets, traffic wardens and agency, magistrates' courts and probation service staff, who are included in figures for later years.
‡ Full-time equivalent figures are not available for 1974.