§ 16. Mr. Willisasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Directorate of Officer Appointments has completed its job of bringing emergency planning arrangements into line with modern requirements; and when the substantial reductions in the personnel of this Office, promised in March, 1958, are to be made.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingNot yet, Sir, though considerable progress has been made. This Directorate has, of course, many duties besides those mentioned by the hon. Member. Reductions which have been made during the year have been offset by the need to add staff to the Employment Liaison Section, which helps retired officers find civilian employment.
§ Mr. WillisIs not the hon. Gentleman aware that thirteen or fourteen months ago this job was supposed to be a very short one and that I was informed that after this job had been completed there would be substantial reductions in this office? When is this reduction to be made? The staff is far too great.
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI should like to assure the hon. Member that a Departmental investigation has recently taken place on this very count, and we will certainly see that action is taken as soon as possible to reduce the numbers.