§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Minister of Health what steps have been taken during the past three months to reduce the amount of overtime in his Department, and if such steps have resulted in the employment of temporary staffs declared redundant in other Government Departments?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI regret that, while overtime has been substantially reduced during the last three months, it has been necessary to have recourse to a certain amount of overtime during this period, which has, in the main, been due to special work, and seasonal pressure. Additional temporary clerks, whose services had terminated in other Depart- 1119W ments, were engaged in the summer and early autumn specifically to obviate, as far as possible, recourse to the undesirable expedient of overtime. But my hon. Friend will appreciate that at certain times and for special purposes it is necessary to call upon the existing trained and experienced permanent staff to work overtime, and that this cannot be wholly avoided by the employment of temporary staff.
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of members of the temporary and established clerical staff in the Post Office, Inland Revenue, Ministry of Health, and Customs and Excise Departments, respectively, who worked overtime in the past 12 months?
§ Mr. RONALD McNEILLI am afraid that the particulars asked for are not available.