Vol. 427 No. 6
165 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment the current levels of general staffing in his Department and, in particular, the numbers of civil servants who oversee the operation of each of the 33 county and county borough councils; the work of the official overseeing of each council; and the way in which they liaise with the local government officials in each county and county borough.
The number of general service staff serving in my Department is approximately 600 and there are about 200 other staff in departmental grades. The work of the Department relates to a wide range of matters, including the direct provision of services such as housing grants and driver testing. The Department is, in general, organised on a functional basis and specific staff are not assigned to oversee operations in particular local authority areas. Liaison is maintained with local officials by means of correspondence, phone contacts and meetings.
