§ 28. Captain CARR-GOMMasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service whether he carried out any special inquiries before stating, in the introductory note to the Return on the Civil Staffs employed by Government Departments on 19th June, that the number of persons now employed by Government Departments cannot be considered excessive; whether he was aware that a Treasury Committee was appointed at the beginning of the year to inquire into this particular matter, and that this Committee has not yet reported; and whether his statement in the introduction to the Return was made for the purpose of hastening the issue of the Report of the Treasury Committee?
§ Mr. BECKIt is obvious from the White Paper that detailed inquiries were made as to the number of staff employed in each Department. As regards the expression of opinion mentioned, it does not refer to the staffing of particular offices, and thus does not anticipate in any way the findings of the Treasury Committee which is inquiring into this matter. It is the duty of the Ministry of National Service to review the distribution of man-power retained on civil work of national importance, and I was alluding to the fact that the figures do not suggest that an undue proportion of the males of the country are employed in the Civil Service as a whole, which is now employing 57,000 less men than it was before the War.
§ 59. Captain CARR-GOMMasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he would add the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service to Sir John Bradbury's Committee on the Staffing of Government Departments, in view of the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary is already in possession of evidence which enables him to state a considered opinion on the subject which this Committee has been appointed to examine, as shown by the introduction to the Return on Civil Staffs employed by Government Departments dated 19th June.
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI do not think there would be any advantage in adopting the hon. Member's suggestion.