§ Mr. Bullardasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now able to give further details of the Committee of independent persons to review the provincial and local organisation of his Department.
Mr. AmoryI have now appointed Mr. F. W. Allam, M.C., F.R.I.C.S., F.A.I., Sir Richard Proby, Bt., M.C., D.L., J.P., Professor E. J. Roberts, M.Sc., M.A., and Mr. N. B. Smiley, to serve on this Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Arton Wilson, K.B.E., C.B.
The Committee will consider whether the provincial and local organisation is best adapted to secure efficient and economical performance of the functions of the Ministry; and in particular whether there is undue complexity, over-specialisation or overlapping inside the organisation, or duplication and unnecessary interference with the work of local authorities. In view of the decision to amalgamate the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Food, the Committee will have regard also to the remaining similar organisations of the Ministry of Food.
80WThe work of the Committee will cover the examination of methods for dealing with transactions in agricultural land within the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Agricultural Land Commission which Sir Arton Wilson and Mr. Allam were appointed to carry out in July last.