27. Mr. ROBINSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the number and annual cost of the staff at headquarters in the year 1913–14, and what are the numbers and cost for the year 1926–27; whether there has been any saving on the provision made in the Estimates for the current year; and if it is anticipated that the staff of the Admiralty will be reduced to pre-War dimensions at, an early date?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Lieut.-Colonel Headlam)The numbers and cost of the staff employed at the Admiralty Headquarters Establishment on the 1st January, 1914, and 1st January, 1927, were 2,062 and 3,193 respectively. The annual cost of the staff at Headquarters 1215 during 1913–14 was £463,602. The cost for corresponding staff for the current financial year may be taken as The figure of cost for the current year £1,271,632, shows a saving of £14,500 on the provision made in the Estimates. With regard to the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply of the 18th November, 1925, to the hon. Member for Central Nottingham (Mr. Bennett) [OFFICIAL REPORT, colo. 358–364], where he will find a detailed explanation why the number of civilian staff cannot be reduced to the pre-War level.