§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will give, for each year since its inception, the number of staff employed by the National Building Agency, indicating for each year how many were technical and professional staff; and how many were managerial and clerical.
174W
§ Mr. MacCollThe staff in office at the dates shown were as follows:
Technical and professional* Managerial and clerical Total 31.3.65 … 49 28 11 31.3.66 … 104 71 175 31.3.67 … 138 77 215 31.3.68 … 133 71 204 14.2.69 … 130 76 206 * Including management consultants.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what surveys are being undertaken by the National Building Agency of marketing techniques; and at what cost.
§ Mr. MacCollThe Agency has a small group of staff who undertake confidential reports for component manufacturers and system sponsors on market information. This group is self-supporting and the current turnover is between £20,000 and £30,000 per annum.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many statisticians are employed on a full-time basis by the National Building Agency; and what were the equivalent figures for each of the years since its inception.
§ Mr. MacCollNo professionally qualified statisticians are or have been employed on a full-time basis.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the estimated expenditure of the National Building Agency in 1969–70; what fee income is anticipated; and what is the estimated subvention from public funds.
§ Mr. MacCollThe figures are as follows:
1969–70 £ Estimated expenditure 736,000 Estimated income from net fees, training activities and publications 286,000 Estimated grant-in-aid from public funds 450,000
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the grant-in-aid from public funds to the National Building Agency for each of the years since its inception.
175W
§ Mr. MacCollThe figures are as follows:
£ 16th March, 1964–31st March, 1965 201,000 1965–66 495,600 1966–67 500,000 1967–68 500,000 1st April, 1968 to date 453,000
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what income was received by the National Building Agency from the sale of publications in each of the years since its inception.
§ Mr. MacCollThe figures are as follows:
£ 1964–65 … … … Nil 1965–66 … … … 2,003 1966–67 … … … 3,417 1967–68 … … … 4,106 1968–69 (to date) … … … 5,403
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what reports were published by the National Building Agency in 1968 giving information to the public; and how many Press open days were held.
§ Mr. MacCollThe following reports were published in the financial year 1968–69:
- Metric House Shells—Two Storey.
- Metric House Shells—Technical Supplement
- Metric Housing—The Transitional Period.
- Metric Housing—What it Means.
- Programming House building by Line of Balance.
- Project Co-ordination.
- Land Costs and Housing Development.
- Low-rise Systems—England and Wales.
- Network Analysis—An Aid to Communication and Co-ordination.
- New Towns Bulletin—A Technical Information Quarterly for New Town Chief Officers.
- Major Authorities Bulletin—A Technical Information Quarterly for Major Housing Authorities.
Open days have been held on four occasions for officers of housing authorities and new towns. One day seminars have been held for over 1,000 local authority and new town staff on metrication, cost planning and project co-ordination.
176W
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many appraisal certificates have so far been granted for low-rise industrialised building systems; how many of them are still valid; and when the National Building Agency proposes to consider high-rise systems for appraisal purposes.
§ Mr. MacColl104 certificates have been granted for low-rise systems and 64 are still valid. The National Building Agency does not propose to issue certificates in respect of high-rise systems in England and Wales, although it maintains an advisory service to housing authorities.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why the annual report of the National Building Agency is not published; and to whom it is made available.
§ Mr. MacCollThe Agency's annual report is made to the Minister of Housing and Local Government and the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales. I am arranging to have copies of the reports for 1966–67 and 1967–68 placed in the Library of the House. Additional copies may be obtained from the Agency.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many technical and professional staff are currently engaged full-time by the National Building Agency on work other than appraising industrialised building systems.
§ Mr. MacCollOne hundred and eighteen.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what research projects are currently being undertaken by the National Building Agency; and how many staff are engaged upon them.
§ Mr. MacCollThe Agency does not itself undertake research but concentrates on the practical application of research carried out elsewhere.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government 177W whether he will set out in tabular form the details of the composition of the annual expenditure of the National Building Agency in each of the years since its
Salaries and associated expenses Property expenses Operating costs Capital expenditure Total expenditure £ £ £ £ £ 16th March, 1964–31st March, 1965 90,678 27,092 25,081 30,703 173,554 1965–66 286,932 76,606 71,026 47,845 482,409 1966–67 457,626 115,463 103,957 27,064 704,110 1967–68 505,354 117,718 96,376 6,117 725,565
Grant-in-aid Income other than grant-in-aid £ £ 201,000 1,210 495,600 10,696 500,000 157,990 500,000 221,352 Some functions of the Agency are not fee-earning and are financed from the grant-in-aid.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why the expenditure of the National Building Agency exceeded its revenue from fees by over £500,000 in 1967–68; and what proposals he has to prevent similar over-spendings in the financial year 1969–70.
§ Mr. MacCollSome activities of the the Agency are fee-earning; others are properly paid for from the grant-in-aid. One would not be justified in categorising the latter as overspending.