[MargaretR]

I retired from the Civil Service in 1994, during a tory government.
At that time large sections of civil service jobs were being PRIVATISED.
My job, government building management, went 'private' the year after I left,
along with the typists, telephonists, cleaners, mail opening and other anxiliary support services.
The result of this was an influx of workers into government buildings, who are not civil servants, and whose 'security status' was not vetted.

The outsourcing of claim processing to foreign countries was also under consideration at that time - don't think that happened - thank goodness

This reduced the number of civil servants and the government payroll - for political reasons.

Both tory and labour governments have been responsible for the 'butchering' of the Civil Service