§ 51. Mr. IngramTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to encourage the relocation of the Civil Service posts from London-based departments to Scotland.
§ Mr. RifkindMy right hon. and learned Friend and I are keen to encourage further relocation of Government offices from London and the south-east to Scotland. Some 2,000 posts have been moved to Scotland since 1979, including over 400 in the move of the Overseas Development Administration to East Kilbride. I have arranged for the recent report on the Overseas Development Administration dispersal, which provides clear evidence of the benefits of such moves to the national and local economies, to be brought to the attention of Departments which are currently reviewing their location of work under arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General on 31 March, at columns610–11.