§ Mr. Longdenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people were employed by the Ministry of Overseas Development, and at what cost, when the Department was first set up and at the time when it became a functional wing of his Department; and what saving in staff and money will result from the change.
§ Mr. WoodThe number of headquarters staff employed by the Ministry of Overseas Development and the cost on 1st April, 1965—the first convenient date for calculation after the Department's creation—and on 1st November, 1970, were respectively, 1,234 at an22W annual cost of £1,815,750; and 1,490 at an annual cost of £2,973,250.
Any duplication of work will be eliminated under the new organisation, but the new arrangements are not themselves expected to result in significant savings of staff.