§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of his Department's staff are (a) engaged in local government matters, (b) local government finance 40W including rate support grants, capital controls, accounts, statistics and other aspects of finance; and what proportion of his staff engaged in activities in (b) are full-time.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsIt is difficult in many cases to draw a precise line between staff who are concerned with local government matters to a significant degree and those whose involvement is minor. The following table shows the numbers of posts in some of the parts of my Department most concerned with local government matters:
Number Transport, highways and planning group 252½ Economic and regional policy group 65 Education group (including HMI) 111½ Housing, architects and surveyors, local authority social services and social work services divisions 82 Finance (local government) division 14½ Water and environmental protection division 6½ The main group of posts concerned with the matters listed at (b) are the 14½ posts in finance (local government) division, but other staff including statisticians and research officers are also involved to some extent.
Fourteen of the members of finance (local government) division are full-time and one is part-time.