Mr. De la Bère:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the increase in the numbers of clerical civil servants now in Government employment as compared with official figures given in April, 1939, of 399,598; whether he will now make a statement regarding the numbers of part-time temporary civil servants employed, analysing them by grades; and the number of top-level civil servants of the administrative grade, giving the numbers now employed and the numbers employed prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

As the reply contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. De la Bère:

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that is precisely the answer that I did not want him to give? [Interruption.] I cannot hear myself speak. I want him to give the answer in order that I may put forward a most valuable supplementary.

I am sure the hon. Member's valuable supplementary will be just as valuable next week when he has read the answer.

Following is the reply:

The figure of 399,598 at 1st April, 1939, relates to non-industrial civil servants. The latest available figures for such staff is 713,589 at 1st October, 1946.

Part-time staffs, by grades, at 1st October, 1946, were:

The number of administrative staff of assistant secretary rank and above—excluding the Foreign Service—employed at 1st October, 1946, was 968 and at 1st April, 1939, was 400.

Mr. De la Bère:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the numbers of civil servants employed for the year ended 31st December, 1946, as compared with the corresponding period in 1939, separating the various grades, the clerical and sub-clerical grade, the typing grade, the professional, technical and scientific grades, the messenger and porter grade.

This information will be available next month.

Mr. De la Bère:

May we have a plain answer to a plain question and not all this prevarication? I only want just a simple straight answer to a straight question. May we have a little information today?

The information will be furnished next month if the hon. Member will put down his Question again in about three weeks' time. To have answered it earlier would have required the employment of hordes of additional officials.