HC Deb 13 November 1945 vol 415 cc2085-6W
Major Lloyd

asked the President of the Board of Trade what payments are made to the independent members of the working parties for industry, established under his auspices; what qualifications are looked for in the economists appointed to these parties and by what method they are chosen.

Sir S. Cripps

Members of working parties are entitled to the normal expenses which can be claimed by members of Government committees. In choosing economists as independent members of working parties, I have borne in mind the undertaking which I gave in my statement to the House on 15th October that the persons chosen should be of such standing that the working parties can be accepted nationally as authoritative bodies, and that the independent members should have particular regard to the broad national interest and to the interest of the consumers. The selection is made on my own responsibility and I should naturally consider the above conditions to be fulfilled only by the choice of persons who had obtained distinction an their particular fields.