§ 36. Sir W. Smithersasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (how many officials, clerks and industrial workers, respectively, are employed by Her Majesty's Government; and what is the cost to the taxpayer of their salaries and other expenses.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterOn 1st January, 1954, there were 657,385 non-industrial civil servants, of whom about 226,000 were in the clerical, sub-clerical and typing grades; these figures include 248,338 Post Office staff. There were also 434,604 industrial civil servants.
For the year ended 30th September, 1953, the salaries and wages bill for the non-industrial staff was £349.6 million. I regret that similar information 1424 for the industrial staff is not readily available.
§ Sir W. SmithersWill the Treasury do all in their power to reduce the number of the civil servants who are non-producers and who do not help the trade of the country?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterWithout accepting the implication in my hon. Friend's question against officials whose duty it is to carry out the duties which this House imposes on them, I would remind him that since the change of Government there has been a substantial reduction in the total.
§ Sir W. SmithersKeep going on.