§ 24. Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the degree of co-ordination between the Civil Service Department and the Home Office in determining the approved complement of staff of the English and Welsh Parliamentary Boundary Commissions.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir.
§ Dr. MarshallIn view of the inconsistency between the reduction of more than 4 per cent. in the number of non-industrial civil servants (luring the past two years and the simultaneous increase in the staff of the Boundary Commissions by 60 per cent., is it not clear that the Government choose to ignore their own policies when they believe that their own preservation is at stake?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Boundary Commission operates independently under the chairmanship of Mr. Speaker. It has sufficient staff to enable it to carry out its task in the statutory time allotted to h. I do not think that we can expect advice from the Opposition on anything to do with Boundary Commissions, in view of their record in 1969.