§ Mr. Levyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total numbers of the personnel employed in each of the war-time Ministries and the total of the salaries paid in each Department concerned?
§ Sir K. WoodThe numbers of whole-time non-industrial staff employed at 1st April, 1943, in the Departments which have seen set up since the war are as follow:
Ministry of Aircraft Production 16,026 Ministry of Economic Warfare 1,385 Ministry of Food 37,641 Ministry of Fuel and Power 4,816 Ministry of Information 2,805 Ministry of Information (Postal and Telegraph Censorship Department) 12,521 Ministry of Production 1,211 War Damage Commission 1,806 Ministry of War Transport 15,469 Some of those Departments, e.g. Ministry of War Transport and Ministry of Aircraft Production, have absorbed functions which formerly were performed by prewar Departments; the numbers given, therefore, include staff transferred from pre-war Departments and it would be a mistake to regard all of them as representing war-time staff increases. It would be impossible without unjustifiable expenditure of man-power to assess the staff costs of the above Departments, but I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement of services to be provided for in Votes of Credit 1943–44 (Cmd. 6445) which contains such particulars as can be given consistent with public policy, relating 1323W generally to the staff actually employed on 1st March, 1943.
§ Mr. Levyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total number of new officials employed in the older Departments of State and the total of the salaries paid applicable to each Department concerned?
§ Sir K. WoodMany Departments which were established before this war have expanded, some of them greatly, on account of taking on new duties connected with its prosecution. To determine with any accuracy the cost in man-power and in wages or salaries of this expansion, considerable inquiry would be necessary which I do not feel justified in undertaking in view of the labour involved.