§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what plans he has for the recruitment of(a) permanent and (b) casual staff to his Department;
(2) how many (a) permanent and (b) casual staff his Department employs at present; and how many in each category he estimates will be employed in 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–98;
(3) pursuant to his oral statement on public expenditure in Wales on 14 December, Official Report, column 927, what is the total number of jobs to be lost in his Department arising from the reduction in total running costs provisions for his Department; and how many in each year between 1995–96 and 1997–98 will be lost in (a) training and enterprise councils, (b) CADW, (c) Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector and (d) the Welsh Office itself.
§ Mr. Redwood[holding answer 20 December 1994]: At 1 December, my Department employed the full-time equivalent of 2,309 permanent and 240 casual staff. Preliminary estimates indicate a reduction of some 200 jobs by 1995–96 and 400 by 1997–98.
The aim will be to manage these reductions by voluntary means, including natural wastage and continuing close control of recruitment, and to avoid compulsory redundancy. Staffing plans for the Welsh Office, including CADW, and OHMCI for 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–98 will be set out in the 1995 departmental report to be published in early March. The staffing levels of training and enterprise councils will be determined by their boards in due course.