13. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the cost of central Government administration services will have increased in the financial year 1966–67 as compared with the calendar year 1964.
§ Mr. DiamondI regret that this information is not available in this form. The cost of Departmental administration associated with roads, housing, environmental services, law and order, fire services, education, health, social security, tax and other financial administration and the administration of the National Insurance Funds was £226.1 million in 1964–65, and is estimated to be about £38 million higher in 1966–67.
Mr. Gresham CookeWill the Chief Secretary look at the Estimates Memorandum, where it would appear that the costs of central administration have gone up 20 per cent. in the last two years? Is this likely to be added to by the Land Commission, S.E.T., and so on, and furthermore is that not a heavy increase?
§ Mr. DiamondIf the hon. Gentleman will study the Answer that I have given—I am sorry that it could not be as short as I would have liked—he will see that the growth for those two years was at the rate of 3½ per cent. per annum.