§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Minister of Technology (1) whether he is satisfied that the numbers of qualified cost accountants in his Department are in adequate ratio to its staff of 40,000; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many qualified cost accountants there are at the moment in his Department.
§ Mr. Stonehouse:17. This number cannot be regarded as entirely satisfactory, although our interest in staff with this qualification is not related by any simple ratio to total staff numbers. The Department has advertised regularly for Cost and Works Accountants on contracts but with disappointing results. We are now giving greater attention to arrangements for training our own staff to obtain professional qualifications in this field. In addition to cost accountants, the Department employs 90 chartered and certified accountants.