§ Mr. Willeyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what work is being carried out by the Inter-Departmental Committee on Social and Economic Research.
§ Mr. H. BrookeI have been asked to reply. This Committee, which includes both academic and Departmental members, was set up in 1947 following a recommendation of the Committee on the Provision for Social and Economic Research (the Clapham Committee). It makes specific recommendations to Departments from time to time, to the end that information collected for Departmental purposes and of potential value for research may be made appropriately available for university and other research workers. It has published several short guides to official sources of social and economic data. Two general reports on its work have been published (Cmd. 7537 of 1948 and Cmd. 8091 of 1950) and a third is in preparation.