XN000022-1984-11-08 — Page 7

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1984

+AS A CONSEQUENCE, IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY NOTWITHSTANDING, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT HAS INCREASED.

+ IN ANY CASE. AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH IN THIS SAME ANNUAL POLICY DEBATE IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR, I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT CAN TRULY BE DESCRIBED AS OVER-CENTRALISED OR OVER-LARGE IN RELATION TO ITS OWN FUNCTIONS AND THE NUMBER AND SIZE OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS IT MUST SERVICE, CONTROL AND COORDINATE,+ HE SAID.

HE THEN UPDATED THE FACTUAL POSITION HE HAD PRESENTED THEN TO SUPPORT THE CONTENTION.

THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT COMPRISES 11 POLICY BRANCHES AND TWO RESOURCE BRANCHES, STAFFED BY JUST UNDER 2 000 OFFICERS OF ALL RANKS.

AGAINST THIS SET UP ARE SOME 55 EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS STAFFED BY ABOUT 170 000 CIVIL SERVANTS, MOST OF WHOM ARE IN VERY CLOSE AND REGULAR CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE.

+NOR CAN THE CHARGE THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S BUREAUCRACY IS TOP-HEAVY BE SUBSTANTIATED BY THE FACTS: THE TOTAL STRENGTH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AT OCTOBER 1 THIS YEAR WAS JUST UNDER 172 000, COMPRISING 900 DIRECTORATE SCALE OFFICERS AND 1 500 OFFICERS AT SENIOR MANAGEMENT-PROFESSIONAL LEVEL AND 169 600 OFFICERS AT ALL OTHER LEVELS.

+PUT SIMPLY, 2 400 SENIOR OFFICERS ARE IN CHARGE OF 169 600 STAFF OF ALL OTHER RANKS: I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THESE OVERHEADS WERE MEAGRE RATHER THAN LAVISH, HE SAID.

CIVIL SERVICE

TURNING TO CIVIL SERVICE, SIR PHILIP TOLD THE COUNCIL IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO SEEK TO STABILISE ITS SIZE IN 1985-86.

HE SAID THIS WOULD NOT BE EASY TO ACHIEVE AS CUTBACKS IN SOME AREAS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO OFFSET THE ADDITIONAL POSTS REQUIRED FOR HIGH PRIORITY AREAS OF ACTIVITY.

THESE CUTBACKS WOULD BE ACHIEVED BY THE DELETION OF VACANT POSTS AND THE WASTING OUT OF OTHER POSTS AS THEY FELL VACANT, WITH RESOURCES SO FREED TO BE REDEPLOYED ACROSS BOUNDARIES.

HE POINTED OUT THAT WHEREAS OVER THE NINE YEARS ENDING IN 1984-85, THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF EXPENDITURE ON CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT IN REAL TERMS WAS 10.6 PER CENT, THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT WAS ONLY FIVE PER CENT.

/ON THE