§ Mrs. Rumboldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what manpower reductions his Department has achieved in 1984–85.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe number of staff working in the Department during 1984–85 actually increased from 90,474 at 1 April 1984 to 92,788 at 1 April 1985. This increase was due to the need to recruit additional staff during the year to handle extra work generated by the industrial dispute at the Newcastle central office. Without this dispute the Department would have achieved a modest reduction in staff numbers.