§ 69. Mr. Rentonasked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the staff of his Department increased from 33,552 on 1st October. 1953, to 33,652 on 1st January, 1954; and what steps he is taking to reduce to a minimum the number of staff employed by his Department.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasOf the 100 additional civilians, 31 were already in their posts as industrials but had been reclassified as non-industrials. Five were appointed to posts previously held by naval personnel. The remainder were almost entirely members of scientific, professional, technical or drawing office grades.
Staff numbers are always being reviewed to keep them as low as is consistent with efficiency, and the general trend of ordinary clerical staff continues downwards. Some further expansion of total numbers is, however, inevitable if we are to maintain the pace of research and development and to reap the benefits of recent technical progress.