§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the regional distribution of the civil service has changed since the Government's current relocation policy was introduced in March 1988; and what plans he has for monitoring and reporting the relocation of civil servants.
§ Mr. DorrellUnder the Government's delegated relocation policy it is for departments and agencies to review the location of their work regularly and systematically with the intention of locating where best value for money is offered.
The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" records the regional distribution of civil servants by Department. The 1993 edition shows that between 1 April 1988 and 1 April 1993, influenced by relocation and location decisions, the number of non-industrial civil servants in London and the south-east reduced by nearly 7,000 while the numbers outside the south-east increased by over 4,600. Departments and agencies have also moved civil servants between regions outside the south-east.
23WThe Government intend to continue monitoring the location of civil servants and publishing the results in "Civil Service Statistics", thereby making evident the changing regional distribution of the civil service. This monitoring will continue, but central monitoring of decisions to relocate civil service posts will be ended.