Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-locate civil servants from London to (1) Birmingham, (2) the West Midlands, and (3) the Midlands as defined in the Midlands Engine Strategy.

Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their own spending agreements with HM Treasury and are responsible for ensuring they have the right workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments.

We are consolidating our estate in central London and, since 2010, have reduced the number of offices from 185 to 54. The Public Bodies Relocation Programme seeks to move significant numbers of civil servants and other public servants out of London. This is part of the Government's Industrial Strategy and seeks to help rebalance the UK economy.