§ Mr. Rowlandasked the Lord President of the Council if he will state the average cost of answering oral and written Parliamentary Questions since October, 1964; how many oral and written Questions were taken into account in arriving at these costs; and the maximum and minimum costs incurred in answering any one Question during the present and previous Parliament.
§ Mr. MacDermotI have been asked to reply. I regret that no more information about average and maximum and minimum costs of answering Parliamentary Questions is available than is contained in my Answer of 29th October to the hon. Member for Sudbury and Woodbridge (Mr. Stainton).
Numbers of civil servants in post (thousands) Non-industrial Industrial Excluding Post Office Including Post Office Excluding Post Office Including Post Office Established Un-established Established Un-established Established Un-established Established Un-established 1st July, 1964 … … 311.6 105.6 538.4 154.9 100.6 151.4 184.1 169.7 1st October, 1964 … 312.2 106.1 538.1 157.5 100.2 150.2 184.5 170.2 1st July, 1965* … … 310.0 110.4 622.2 183.8 96.7 137.8 96.9 138.0 * From April, 1965 the Non-industrial figures include over 100,000 in Post Office grades previously classified as Industrial, and Forestry Commission are excluded as a grant-aided Department.