HC Deb 10 March 1943 vol 387 c659
46. Mr. Granville

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider separating the Ministry of Labour from the Ministry of National Service and the Home Office from the Ministry of Home Security and placing them under separate Ministers in order that the present War Cabinet Ministers may be free from heavy departmental responsibilities and enabled to give more time to their duties as members of the War Cabinet and to War Cabinet Committees?

Mr. Eden

No, Sir. No such changes are in contemplation.

Mr. Granville

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether some of the bottlenecks in these Departments are due to the fact that Ministers have to spend much of their time at War Cabinet meetings; and does he think that Ministers can administer their Departments and at the same time give their full time to the War Cabinet Committee?

Mr. Eden

I am afraid that I do not know to what bottlenecks my hon. Friend refers, but it is certainly true, in the judgment of the Prime Minister, that this arrangement is the best that we can contrive.

Mr. Hannah

Do we really need more Ministers?