Mr. De la Bére:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider reducing the staff of the Central Office of Information with a view to effecting economies in the total number of civil servants employed throughout the country.

Yes, Sir. The staff of the Central Office of Information is, in common with that of other Government Departments, being reviewed in the light of the manpower situation. I would point out, however, that the effectiveness of the Central Office as a common service agency contributes to economy in information staffs over the Service as a whole.

Mr. De la Bére:

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that I shall exercise my powers of self-restraint and not express my views on this matter by way of supplementary?

Would the Financial Secretary consider particularly those members of this office who are going round addressing industry on matters of production when production is very largely held up by shortages of raw materials and coal, and is he aware that these lectures are becoming nothing but a farce?

Mr. H. D. Hughes:

Would my right hon. Friend see that these economies are not effected simply by displacing older workers who might find great difficulty in securing alternative employment, so that where older workers are satisfactory they are kept on and persons are displaced who can take alternative employment?

Where a person £ satisfactory the desire is to keep him on if there is work for him. If there is not, quite obviously reductions must take place.

Will my right hon. Friend do all he can to strengthen the Central Office of Information in the very important task it has to perform in expounding the Government's production policy?

Mr. De la Bére:

That is a sheer impossibility.