§ Mr. Lyonsasked the Minister of Information whether he will publish a list, showing the numbers and salaries, of speakers employed in London and at each provincial office under his Department, respectively; by whom were these persons appointed; and how many in each case, respectively, were selected from the Central Register of the Ministry of Labour?
Mr. CooperIn addition to some hundreds of volunteer speakers employed as occasion serves, full time paid speakers are employed by the Ministry as follows:
London Region 3 Northern Region 4 North Eastern Region 4 North Midland Region 2 Eastern Region 5 Southern Region 3 South Western Region 1 Wales and Monmouthshire 1 Midland Region 3 North Western Region 3 Scotland 2 South Eastern Region 3 The salaries paid range from £4 to five guineas per week.
The appointments in each case were made by the regional information officer in consultation with the Ministry headquarters. In selecting these speakers, application was made to the Central Register of the Ministry of Labour, but of the persons whose names were thus obtained only one appeared to be suitable in view of the terms of appointment and salary.
452WThese figures could not be divided between the various grades without detailed inquiry throughout the country, but the following figures are available and will perhaps serve the purpose of my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Gledhillasked the Minister of Information the total number of staff engaged in his Department as at 1st April and 1st July, 1940, and the total salaries paid?
§ Mr. NicolsonThe total number of staff employed at 1st April, 1940, excluding overseas staffs but including the Press and Censorship Bureau, was 1,135, the comparable figure at 1st July being 1,334. The total annual expenditure on the salaries and wages of this staff at 1st July was at the rate of approximately £388,000.
§ Sir R. Glynasked the Minister of Information in how many regions of the country are there subdivisions of the Ministry attached to the commissioner's staff; how many persons are thus employed; and what are their duties?
Mr. CooperThere are no regions in which representatives of the Ministry of Information are actually attached to the Regional Commissioners' staff, as the information officer and staff which the Ministry maintains in each of the Civil Defence Regions, although maintaining the closest contact with the Regional Commissioner, are independent of him so long as communications with the seat of Government remain adequate. The total number of persons belonging to the regional staff of the Ministry is 169. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mr. Gledhill) on 16th July.