§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants from his Department have been relocated from London to other parts of the United Kingdom(a) in the last five years and (b) in the last 10 years; and to where they were relocated.
§ Mr. HowardOver the past five years my Department has relocated 174 posts from London to Bedford, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester. Although records are not available for earlier years, it would appear that no posts were relocated during the five years prior to 1988.
Overall some 45 per cent. of my Department's staff now work outside London. The need to retain posts in London is kept under review and we shall continue to look for opportunities to move posts to other parts of the country in accordance with Government policy.