HC Deb 23 May 1968 vol 765 cc843-4
4. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what reductions he has made in the staff of his Department as the result of the transfer of responsibility for incomes policy from him; and by how much the cost of his Department in 1968–69 will as a result of this transfer be reduced below the cost in 1967–68.

Mr. Shore

About 35 staff of the Department of Economic Affairs employed on prices and incomes policy have been transferred to the Department of Employment and Productivity and the cost of the Department will be reduced by about £100,000. Further details will be shown in the revised estimate which will be presented to Parliament in due course.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall telling me only a few weeks ago that the increased cost of £500,000, or about a sixth of the cost of his Department in the coming year, was due to its increased responsibilities for the incomes policy? Now that, happily, he has been relieved of that responsibility, why does he not reduce the staff of his Department to the level appropriate to its real status—that of a subordinate division of the Treasury?

Mr. Shore

I think that the right hon. Gentleman may be confusing the figures given previously for the Department of Economic Affairs and the figures for the Prices and Incomes Board, which are quite separate.

Concerning the other remarks of the right hon. Gentleman, I can only assume that he is reflecting the fact that he was once a Treasury Minister and has failed to learn the lesson of economic failure, which was so obvious during his period of office.

Mr. Edwin Wainwright

Has my right hon. Friend considered any attempt to reduce the number of his staff by having business consultants inside his Ministry to ensure that every bit of work that is done is done in an efficient manner?

Mr. Shore

I thank my hon. Friend for his interest in the efficiency of the Department. This is a proper concern in all Government Departments, but my Department is one of the smaller Government Departments with a staff of just over 550.