Mr. H. SAMUELasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is now in a position to state the number of the administrative and clerical staff of each of the large Government Departments, and the total?
§ Mr. BALDWINI regret that I cannot furnish the right hon. Member with in
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Department. Total Staff. Total Annual cost. Notes. £ Ministry of Munitions 16,809 2,775,179 This return covers only the staff of the headquarters offices in London. It does not include any of the staffs of the provincial offices or of the arsenals, national factories, etc. War Office 16,100 2,206,533 This return includes all civilian staff in the War Office and in a few provincial offices subordinate to the War Office. It-does not include the military staff at the War Office or any of the staff of the Army Departments, e.g., the Army Pay Department, Record Offices, Forage Department, etc. Ministry of National Service Headquarters staff 994 Regional and local staffs 13,516 14,510 1,574,190 The statement of cost is incomplete, as a considerable proportion of the clerical staff in the recruiting offices were still paid from Army funds at the date of return and their cost is not shown fully in the returns. Board of Inland Revenue 6,272 1,047,555 This return does not cover the whole Department but only the branches which have largely expanded during the War In these branches 1,495 out of a total of 2,256 pre-war employés are still serving. Admiralty (including Controller's Department) 6,118 965,110 This return includes 486 out of a total of 956 pre-war employés who are still serving in the Department. It does not include technical staff or any of the staffs at the dockyards. formation in precisely the form asked for; but I have obtained particulars, as far as they are available, from the Committee on Staffs in regard to the total numbers and annual cost of the administrative and clerical staffs of the new Ministries which have been created and of other Departments which have largely expanded during the War.
I may explain that these returns were called for by the Committee in February last, but have necessarily taken some time to prepare and in some cases are not yet complete. The returns show the numbers, grading and rates of pay of each section of the various Departments, but it is not practicable to separate the administrative from the clerical staffs as no precise line of demarcation can be drawn between the two classes. The vast majority of the staffs are, however, temporary women clerks.
Subject to these observations, and to the notes shown below against each Department, the following table gives particulars of the staff in February last in respect of the larger Departments:
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Department. Total Staff. Total Annual cost. Notes. £ Ministry of Labour (including Employment Department) 5,763 756,268 This return includes all the provincial and local staffs in the Employment Exchange. It includes 2,464 out of a total of 4,437 pre-war employés who are still serving in the Department. Ministry of Pensions 5,714 583,676 The staff of this Department is still in process of expansion. Board of Trade 4,800 750,000 Provisional figures. Ministry of Food 4,561 621,000 The staff of this Department has increased considerably, both in numbers and cost, since the date of the return. Post Office (Savings Bank Department only) 3,687 565,400 This return includes 1,849 out of a total of 3,230 pre-war employés who are still serving in the Department. Stationery Office (Head quarters' staffs) 1,823 201,142 This return includes 154 out of 403 pre-war employés who are still serving in the Department. Ministry of Shipping 1,438 222,314 — Office of Works 1,121 250,000 Provisional figures. Air Ministry 987 72,497 This return was compiled before the transfer to the Air Ministry of the Departments of the War Office and Admiralty dealing with the Air Service. It comprises only the secretarial staff and messengers common to the office. War Trade Department 901 105,201 — Foreign Office and Ministry of Blockade (including Foreign Trade Department and War Trade Statistical Department, etc.) 829 176,309 This return includes 96 out of 171 pre-war employés who are still serving in the Department. Civil Liabilities Committee 595 79,754 — Department of Information 526 77,302 — Food Production Department 521 75,323 — War Trade Intelligence Department 380 44,795 — War Savings Committee 327 37,267 — Dollar Securities Committee 326 57,277 This staff is now being reduced. Public Trustee (Trading with the Enemy Department only) 167 17,412 — Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) 126 21,584 — Ministry of Reconstruction 112 24,935 — The aggregate staff in these Departments is therefore approximately 94,500 and the annual cost £13,308,000. In addition, the Committee have obtained returns from a number of smaller offices which have been created during the War, and from new Sub-Departments attached to permanent offices which have not, as a whole, any large net increase of staff as compared with their pre-war establishments.