§ Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of defence posts which have already been lost in Weymouth and Portland over the past three years and the number of posts he expects to be lost rather than transferred up until the year 2000. [21243]
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of service and civilian posts in my Department and its agencies in the Weymouth and Portland area has reduced by over 400 in the last three years. Between now and the year 2000 the transfer of functions to new locations means that some 3,000 further posts will move from the area. The majority of these will transfer to the new locations but it is not possible to estimate accurately how many will be saved by efficiency measures.