To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many administrative staff were employed by London Underground as a whole (a) in 1979 and (b) currently; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that 1,250 administrative staff were employed by London Underground as at 25 April 1992. No comparable figure is available for 1979, which was before London Underground became a nationalised industry. However, the number of administrative staff will undoubtedly have increased over the period, as a result of the number of major capital investment projects which London Underground now has to manage.