§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Prime Minister if she will give the latest figures available for the total annual cost and the average annual cost of full-time equivalent posts in (a) the National Health Service, (b) the Civil Service, (c) local government and (d) all remaining public sector work forces, including nationalised industries; and if she will break down the average cost for a full-time equivalent post into pay, national insurance, superannuation and other costs, respectively.
§ The Prime MinisterThe latest available figures of wages and salaries relate to the calendar year and are published in table 1.14 and 9.4 of the annual Blue Book "United Kingdom National Accounts". The corresponding full-time equivalent employment estimates were published in the annualEconomic Trends article on employment in the public and private sector (March 1984 issue). Per capita averages calculated in this way have little meaning, 3W because of the wide variety of different types of staff employed in each sector, but, for what they are worth, they are as follows:
1983 Total income from employment £ million Mid-1983 Total fill-time equivalent thousands Cost per f.t.e. £ National Health Service *8,618 1,045 8,250 Other central Government civilians† *7,566 769 9,840 Her Majestys Forces 4,022 322 12,490 Local government 21,199 2,278 9,310 Public corporations 17,755 1,641 10,820 * The allocation between the NHS and other central government has been revised since publication of the Blue Book. "Other central Government" comprises the Civil Services of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and various non-departmental bodies.
"Income from employment" is defined as for the national accounts. It covers pay and employers contributions to national insurance and superannuation but not the national insurance surcharge. It does not include other staff related costs such as training or accommodation costs.
The breakdown of the figures requested is not generally available, but some information on the central government sector is published in table 2 of the memorandum to the Supply Estimates by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The coverage of the information therein is slightly different to that of the figures quoted above.