asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the total staff shortage in the Customs and Excise group; and if he will give the figures in each area office;(2) what would be the annual cost of filling all the present vacancies in the Customs and Excise group.

The number of vacancies in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at 1st June 1975 was 885 in the following areas:

Headquarters, London	…	…	53
Headquarters, Southend	…	…	45
London Collections	…	…	157
Aberdeen	…	…	37
Belfast	…	…	52
Brighton	…	…	29
Bristol	…	…	13
Chester	…	…	25
Dover	…	…	63
Edinburgh	…	…	4
Glasgow	…	…	19
Greenock	…	…	37
Harwich	…	…	55
Leeds	…	…	22
Liverpool	…	…	31
Manchester	…	…	18
Newcastle	…	…	4
Northampton	…	…	81
Nottingham	…	…	22
Plymouth	…	…	22
Preston	…	…	6
Reading	…	…	55
Southampton	…	…	17
South Wales and Borders	…	…	18

The annual cost of filling the 885 posts would be in the region of £4½ million, but the figure does not wholly represent staff shortages at 1st June, since in staffing any large organisation it is necessary to plan ahead for future requirements and allow for the time it takes to recruit. The list of approved posts therefore includes a number which are not immediate vacancies.