HL Deb 23 November 1949 vol 165 cc923-5
LORD TWEEDSMUIR

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands on the Order Paper in my name.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total staff of the Historical Section of the Cabinet Office; what is the estimated annual cost of the section; how many volumes of the history of the recent war have been published up till now, and on which subjects; how many volumes are expected to be published in 1950 and 1951 respectively.]

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, owing to the unavoidable absence of my noble friend Lord Pakenham, I have been asked to reply. The staff of the War Histories Branch of the Cabinet Office on November 1, 1949, numbered 122, of whom 20 were employed part-time. The total included twenty-eight historians and a research staff of forty-eight, divided about equally between Military and Civil Histories of the War. It is estimated that the cost of the Branch for the current financial year will be £79,000. The first volume of the Civil Histories of the War was published in June—British War Economy, by Professor W. H. Hancock and Mrs. M. M. Gowing. It is hoped that five or six further volumes will be published in 1950 and 1951.

LORD TWEEDSMUIR

While thanking the noble Lord for his reply, I should like to ask whether he can tell me how many of the staff are in receipt of extra duty pay, and for what extra duties and for how many effective hours work per week that duty pay is paid.

LORD SHEPHERD

I am afraid that I should require notice of that question. It does not arise on the previous question or answer.

LORD TWEEDSMUIR

How many of the staff are qualified historians, and how is the staff selected for employment?

LORD SHEPHERD

The number of qualified historians, I understand, is fourteen civil and fourteen military, a total of twenty-eight.

VISCOUNT SWINTON

Could the noble Lord say what constitutes a qualified historian?

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, arising out of the noble Lord's answer, having regard to the meagre output of history up to date and in prospect, will His Majesty's Government consider disbanding the Section and making the historical material available to qualified historians from universities, so that the Histories may be compiled and published under time limits, with or without incentive bonus?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I cannot accept the suggestion that the persons employed on this work are not working diligently and with due despatch. If the noble Lord will give the matter a moment's thought, he will realise that there is an enormous amount of research work to be done if a proper history of the war is to emerge.

LORD RENNELL

My Lords, are we to understand that the Histories likely to be published next year are all Civil Histories, and that none of them is a Military History?

LORD SHEPHERD

No. There will be one or two volumes, but the greater part will be Civil Histories. The reason is that the research for the Civil Histories commenced while the war was still on.