§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 5 May,Official Report, column 601, if he will make a statement explaining why the number of attendants has been reduced.
§ Mr. Beith[holding answer 17 May 1994]Following a staff inspection of the attendant grades throughout the House in 1992 and a detailed review of attendants' posts in the Serjeant at Arms' Department in the first part of 1993, the House of Commons Commission agreed that the Department's staffing level of attendants should be reduced by three. This reduction was subsequently achieved by natural wastage. The current staffing levels are being kept under review by the Department and the staff inspector will be reviewing them formally at the end of this year.