§ Mr. SproatTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made in achieving the target of a reduction of 1.5 per cent. in his Department's running costs for the present financial year, in the first half of this financial year; and what specifically has been saved, by what means and in what areas of his responsibility.
§ Mr. EggarPrior to the merger of the Department of Trade and Industry with the Department of Energy, the two Departments published targets for efficiency savings of 3.7 per cent. and 2.3 per cent. respectively. The running cost allocations to each department for this year reflected those savings, which the Department is on course to achieve. Furthermore, as a result of the merger, the Department has been able to reduce the overhead costs of common functions and services, with savings to date of 60 posts. These savings have been used to strengthen the Department's sponsorship role and to support other priority activities.