HC Deb 24 July 1991 vol 195 cc601-3W
Mr. Dewar

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the percentage of civil service jobs located in Scotland as a percentage of the total number of civil servant jobs in Great Britain in 1979, 1985 and the latest available date for which figures are available.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

The percentages are as follows:

Percentage of all civil servants employed in Scotland
Percentage
1979 9.7
1985 10.4
1990 9.8

Note: 1990 is the latest year for which figures are available.

Source: Civil Service Statistics.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the units and the Government Departments of which they formed part which moved to Scotland as part of the relocation of civil service jobs, the number of jobs involved in each case and the site in Scotland to which they moved, between 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available;

Department Number of posts Location
Department of Social Security: work transferred from London social security offices 510 Glasgow
Inland Revenue: new TOBBI office 43 Glenrothes
Inland Revenue: PAYE work 40 Edinburgh
40 Glasgow
25 Livingston
Inland Revenue: Operations division—specialist tax work 10 Glasgow
Home Office (Passport Office) 88 Glasgow
Ministry of Defence (Contracts branch) 70 Glasgow
Overseas Development Administration: including statistics, staff training and personnel work 53 East Kilbride
Cabinet Office: Civil Service Occupational Health Service 22 Edinburgh
Office of Electricity Regulation: local offices 18 Edinburgh
4 Perth
Department of Trade and Industry: Insolvency Service posts 5 Edinburgh
TOTAL 928

Altogether, at least 2,890 posts have been located or relocated to Scotland since April 1979, which represents over 13 per cent. of total posts located or relocated away from the South-east. A broad annual breakdown for these posts is as follows:

Number
1979 0
1980 0
1981 425
1982 170

(2) if he will give the total number of civil service jobs relocated between 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available and the percentage of these which moved to Scotland;

(3) if he will list the number of civil service jobs re-located from other parts of the United Kingdom to Scotland in each year since 1979.

Mrs. Gillian Shepherd

Prior to the introduction of current relocation policy in March 1988, it is estimated that Departments moved a total of some 12,000 posts out of the south-east, about half under the Government's centrally directed dispersal programme and half at departments' own initiative. Comprehensive data on posts which were located or relocated at departments' own initiative are not held centrally, but the Inland Revenue opened a new office in Cumbernauld in 1987 with 32 posts. Relocations to Scotland under the dispersal programme were as follows:

Department Number of posts Location
MOD: including pay and records offices; Directorate of Contract; Defence Certification Authority etc 1,330 Glasgow
ODA (including Overseas Manpower Services, Pensions and Account departments, etc); Crown Agents Pensions Division 600 East Kilbride

Since March 1988, nearly 9,300 further posts have been located or relocated outside the south-east by Government Departments. Of these, the following related to Scotland:

Number
1983 190
1984 75
1985 1,070
1986 0
1987 30
1988 110
1989 305
1990 440
1991 75

Further locations and relocations to Scotland are now planned by departments which will involve more than 1,500 extra posts. These include further posts for the Inland Revenue TOBBI office at Glenrothes; new TOBBI offices at Falkirk and Dundee; a new PAYE office at East Kilbride; a new DSS Child Support Agency office for Falkirk and new Health and Safety Executive oil safety directorate posts for Aberdeen.