§ 7. Captain Viscount CURZONasked the Secretary of State for Air how many paid members comprise the Aeronautical Research Committee; how much is paid to them and how they are paid; how many sittings have been held during the last year; what was the total expenditure involved; have the number of sittings increased; and will he reduce the expenditure upon this service?
The SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Captain Guest)With the permission of the Noble Lord, I will circulate the reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT, the particulars being rather long.
§ Following is the reply:
§ The Aeronautical Research Committee works mainly through Sub-committees and including the latter, the paid members as 2395 at 31st December last numbered 31. They are paid, in addition to travelling expenses, 10 guineas each per sitting, reducible to 5 guineas per sitting after 10 sittings, subject to an overriding maximum of £200 for each member of one Committee, of £350 for each member of two Committees, and of £450 for each member of three or more Committees; payment is made on vouchers certified by the Secretary and submitted to the Air Ministry. During the year ending 31st December, 1921, 88 meetings in all took place. The total expenditure in that year was £4,861, being £4,247 for fees and £614 for travelling expenses. The number of meetings has, on the whole, been considerably reduced. Steps to reduce expenditure have already been taken, and it is expected that not more than £2,000 will be spent on fees in the financial year 1922–23.