§ Mr. Matthew BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil service posts have been relocated from the south-east of England to elsewhere in the United Kingdom since 1979.
§ Mr. DorrellAround 29,000. Of these nearly 6,000 were moved between 1979 and 1987 as part of the centrally directed programme and a similar number are estimated to have been moved at Departments' own initiative. Under the delegated approach which has operated since March 1988 a further 17,000 civil service posts have been located or relocated outside the south-east.