§ Mr. Lofthouseasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional engineering staff have been and are to be engaged by his Department in the recently publicised recruitment drive; and how many of 564W these are required for the purpose of administering the highways and transportation functions within each metropolitan county area under the proposals contained in Cmnd. 9063.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe Civil Service Commission regularly recruits junior professional civil engineers for my Department to fill vacancies caused by internal promotions and natural wastage. Nine such engineers have been engaged since autumn 1983.
In addition, the Civil Service Commission is currently holding an open competition to recruit grade I professional civil engineers which, in due course, should result in some 15 engineers joining the Department.
None of these recruits is earmarked for any function relating to proposals in Cmnd. 9063; they are all needed to fill vacancies caused by natural wastage.