To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants are currently employed (a) full time and (b) part time by his Department on civil defence; what the total costs of employing staff on civil defence duties were in 1989–90; what the total costs of employing staff on civil defence duties are expected to be in 1990–91; and whether he has any plans for these staff to be transferred to work on other duties.

The information requested is as follows:

Number of staff employed full-time 16 November 1990	Number of staff employed part-time 16 November 1990	Total estimated cost 1989–90	Total estimated cost 1990–91
		£	£
1	6	247,300	112,000

The lower estimated costs for 1990–91 result from reductions both planned and already made in the staffing provision for civil defence work. The staff concerned have been or will be transferred to other work. Further consideration will be given to staffing and expenditure on this work when my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has completed the review, which he announced on 16 October, of the options for civil defence arrangements in the light of east-west relations.