§ Mr. Marshallasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Government now propose to accept the recommendations of the Linstead Committee, which was set up to consider the functions and organisation of the Government Chemist's Department, that Ministerial responsibility for the Department should be transferred from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Lord President of the Council, and that the Department should be attached to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
§ Mr. SimonYes. The Government agree that the arrangement whereby the Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for the Government Chemist's Department is inappropriate in the present-day organisation of Government scientific work. They have, therefore, decided that as from 1st July next Ministerial responsibility for the Department should be transferred from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Lord President of the Council. The Government Chemist's Department will be placed under the charge of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Parliamentary approval for the consequential changes in the financial arrangements will be sought in the Estimates submitted in July.