§ 26. Mr. Corfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade how many additional 1290 staff his Department will have to recruit to administer the Industrial Development Act; and how many of those have so far been recruited.
§ Mr. DarlingAbout 1,200 staff are required to administer investment grants. Nearly all the 215 senior posts have been filled. For the 770 junior posts, 480 suitable applicants have so far been selected. Some 200 clerical and supporting staff are being recruited locally.
§ Mr. CorfieldDoes not the Minister's Answer prove quite clearly that the machinery of this Act is wholly ineffective to act with the speed and efficiency which is required to deal with the economic circumstances which the Government's folly have produced?
§ Mr. DarlingOn the contrary, as a result of the measures that we have taken—as we have explained time and time again—the investment grant system will be far more helpful to expanding British industrialists than the old investment allowances system, and the staff and cost of this operation will be well worth while.
§ Mr. W. BaxterIn view of the procrastination that exists and the difficulties of getting satisfactory replies from the Beard of Trade when applications are made to it, will the Minister set up a searching inquiry into the administration of his organisation in order to bring it to the state of efficiency that we would expect in a first-class business?
§ Mr. DarlingI do not know what my hon. Friend means in this connection, because no applications could have been dealt with negligently, since no applications have yet been asked for.