78. Lieut.-Colonel W. GUINNESSasked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry how many motor-cars are allotted to the civilian officials of the Air Ministry?
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSDo the Regulations allow these cars to convey officials to and from their residences or do they come by 'bus?
§ Major-General SEELYI think they are permitted to convey the officials from their residences. I hasten to say I think it is very reasonable that they should.
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Leader 1025 of the House said yesterday that Regulations were issued limiting cars strictly to official business?
§ Major-General SEELYYes; and I regard it as official business for these Civil officials to go to their residences or come from them to their offices. If a different policy is laid down, we shall conform to it, but I say at once, on behalf of those to whom the cars are allotted, that I think it would be a mistaken policy to force these people, who are giving their services to the State, very often free, to go to the expense of hiring cars.
§ Mr. HOGGEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that every Member of this House gives a large amount of time and money to the State and comes to the House and goes from it at his own expense? Does he really ask the House seriously to believe that people employed at the Air Ministry have a right to use public cars at the public expense to take them to and from their residences to their work?
§ Major-General SEELYI am not speaking of myself, naturally enough—my present office costs me a great deal of money —but I am speaking for the other officials, and under present circumstances where the difficulty is to find time enough to get the work done, where millions of money are involved, the officials to whom I refer, who cannot find the time to get the work done as that is, it would be a reactionary step to force them to hire cars for themselves. It is difficult enough to get the work done as it is.
§ Sir F. FLANNERYIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Magasin de Louvre and other large business concerns have established a system of conveying their employés from their residences in the morning, and that they do that as a matter of business economy in order to save the time of the employés?