§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of staff in post in central Government Departments at 1 October.
§ Mr. Peter ReesAt 1 October 1984 there were 617,200 staff in post — 500,200 non-industrial and 117,000 industrial; that is a reduction of 2,000 since 1 July 1984. The number of civil servants has fallen by 115,100 or 15.7 per cent. since the beginning of the last Parliament.
§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present size of the Civil Service; by how many the establishment has been reduced since April 1979; and what categories of staff have suffered the biggest reductions.
§ Mr. Hayhoe[pursuant to his reply, 9 November 1984, c.18]: There were 617,200 staff in post in central Government Departments on 1 October 1984 (the latest date for which figures are available) compared with 732,300 on 1 April 1979. This reflects a reduction in the size of the Civil Service of more than 115,000, or 15.7 per cent. since the beginning of the last Parliament. The largest percentage reduction was in the industrial grades, which fell by 29.7 per cent. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Proctor) on 11 July 1984, at column 443, for details of the percentage reductions in non-industrial grades.