§ Mr. Cobbasked the Assistant Post master-General the total number of con tractors supplying telecommunication equipment, including all classes of radio apparatus used for that purpose, to the Post Office for the years ended 30th June, 1937, and 30th June, 1945, respectively, and the total number of personnel employed by them on 30th June, 1937, and 30th June, 1945, respectively; and what proportion of these persons were physicists or qualified engineers engaged on pure research and applied research, respectively.
§ Mr. BurkeThe range of telecommunications equipment is very wide and the Post Office obtains its supplies from some hundreds of contractors. I am afraid I have no figures of the total personnel employed by these firms, nor of the numbers engaged by them on research. My hon. Friend will appreciate' that only a proportion of its contractor's output is purchased by the Post Office.