§ 49. Mr. SPOORasked the Prime Minister what are the functions of the officers employed on the Imperial Defence Committee; and whether they are exclusively in the service of this Committee?
§ The PRIME MINISTERTheir functions are to carry out all the secretarial duties of the Committee and its Subcommittees. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative, with the exception of the secretary, who is also Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet.
§ Mr. SPOORAre we to understand that their functions are purely of a technical character—that they give technical advice to the Committee but have really no executive power? Are they experts advising the Committee, or are they actually on the Committee, taking part in all its deliberations?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI took the right hon. Gentleman to mean, by "the officers employed," those in a secretarial capacity. I am not quite clear, after what he has said. I think there is some confusion in his mind, which makes it all the more desirable that we should have a Debate on this subject, and I wish hon. Members opposite would put it down some day.