§ 51. Mr. H. WILLIAMSasked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to establish a central statistics bureau to co-ordinate official statistics, and from which the public could obtain statistics on all matters on which such statistics are prepared or received by public departments?
§ The PRIME MINISTERA Committee was appointed in 1920 to consider the question of the institution of a bureau such as my hon. Friend suggests. The majority of that Committee reported against, the proposal, but recommended that a permanent consultative Committee of statistical officers should be appointed in order to secure a greater measure of co-ordination between Departments. This Committee was set up in 1921, and meets regularly. I see no reason for making any change in the existing arrangements.