§ 1. Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advisory boards and committees of a central or national character there are who now advise Her Majesty's Government; and what is the total cost of such bodies to public funds.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Sir Edward Boyle)About 850. The total cost is not known, but will not be large as nearly all members of these bodies give their services free.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan the hon. Member say how many civil servants advise the Government to accept or reject the advice of the advisory bodies? In view of the current chaos of the Government's policy, does it not seem that the Government's success is in inverse proportion to the amount of advice which they receive?
§ Sir E. BoyleThe second part of the hon. Member's supplementary question is, I think, incorrect. In answer to the first part, I think that it is quite impossible to work out with any precision the 173 number of advisers of the Government in Departments who advise in one shape or another on matters of policy.