§ 27. Mr. Kenneth Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Social Services when the research departments of the former Ministries of Health and Social Security will be combined; and whether these will be co-ordinated with the research activities of the Government's Social Survey.
§ Mr. CrossmanWe shall get on with this as fast as possible. As for the second part of the Question, existing arrangements for the co-ordination of the work of the Government Social Survey already take account of the requirements of the two former Ministries and they will continue.
§ Mr. BakerWould not the right hon. Gentleman agree that the social research activities of the two former Ministries have, on the whole, been inadequate, and that it would be sensible to coordinate them all with the Government's social survey, about 90 per cent. of whose work in any event has been occupied with social matters?
§ Mr. CrossmanI will consider this, but one must remember that there are a number of other Departments which use the social survey, and contact is made through a co-ordinating official committee. It may be desirable to do this, but my main job at present is to get on with what the hon. Gentleman first asked about—ensuring that we have a really efficient Department in the merged Ministries.
§ Mr. WorsleyWould the right hon. Gentleman agree that there is a crying need for better intelligence right across this field? Would he not consider the whole of the research activity of the Government, and outside the Government, in this context?
§ Mr. CrossmanI would agree. One of the things which I discovered when I was Minister of Housing three or four years ago was this crying need. We have greatly improved the research and have many more statisticians working for us, but now, of course, there is an acute shortage, because everyone wants statisticians and some people pay more.