§ Colonel WOODCOCKasked the Secretary of State for war if he can explain why the staff at the War Office has increased by 215 as on the date of 1st April, 1927, in comparison with the same date of the previous year; and what was the increase, if any, for the same period of the outlying branches of the War Office?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSBetween 1st April, 1926, and 1st April, 1927, there has been a decrease in the figures for the War Office of, approximately, 25. I presume that my hon. 397W and gallant Friend is referring to the figures quoted in Command Paper 2863, but since April, 1926, the returns have been compiled on a slightly different basis, and the figures are not therefore precisely comparable. The change in the basis was explained in a footnote to the July return published in Command Paper 2722. As regards the last part of the question, a comparison between 1st April, 1927, and 1st July, 1926, when the figures wore first compiled in the present form, shows a decrease of 86.