§ 32. Mr. Evelyn kINGasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the present staff of the Land Commission; what estimate he has of the amount by which the Land Commission was overstaffed on 1st January this year and is now overstaffed; and what estimate he has of the cost to public funds of this overstaffing.
§ Mr. SkeffingtonThe staff on 1st October, 1969, was 1,050. On the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to Appendix I of the Third Report of the Public Accounts Committee 1968–69.
§ Mr. KingIs the Parliamentary Secretary unable to give an estimate of the amount of money thus lost, or is he assuming that money over-paid in salaries here, if not wasted, would have been 200 wasted somewhere else? In any event, is not this over-staffing in a commission whose affairs in any case are highly dubious, something of a public scandal; and who is responsible for it?
§ Mr. SkeffingtonIf the hon. Gentleman will do me the courtesy of looking up the information to which I have referred he may find that a good deal of the substance of his question is entirely misplaced.
§ Mr. Robert CookeDoes the Parliamentary Secretary expect the staff to go up or down during the coming year?
§ Mr. SkeffingtonThe staff is continually being reviewed and, with the coming of more sophisticated methods, may well go down.