§ Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Health what consultations he has had with associations of local authorities about the reduction of manpower in the local government service; what action has resulted; and whether he is satisfied with the progress made.
§ Mr. BevanTwo meetings have so far been held with the Local Authority Associations. Further consultations are being arranged with the Associations and Government Departments to explore the possibility of simplifying the administrative arrangements between them so as to effect economies in staff. I shall not be satisfied until the fullest possible economies have been achieved but the78W wide scope of the present discussions means that full achievement is bound to take some time.