57. Lieut.-Colonel ASSHETON POW-NALLasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the heading Other Departments in the monthly figures recently published with regard to the number of officials employed on 1st 511 December, 1919; whether the strength given, 47,736, is practically the same as the number shown on 1st August, 1919, 47,759; whether he can state which are the principal offices given under the heading of Other Departments; and whether steps can be taken to expedite the reduction of the staffs in question?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINIn all, 131 Departments are comprised under the heading Other Departments in these Returns. They include Departments, the staffs of which were reduced during the period in question and Departments for which increased staffs have had to be provided to discharge new or increasing functions, e.g., Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health (for housing work). The aggregate figures quoted do not, therefore, reveal the reductions actually made, amounting to over 1,900, but only the net result over all. The principal Departments included under the heading Other Departments are the Ministry of Health, Office of Works, Board of Education, Ministry of Shipping, Home Office, Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland).