asked the Minister of Public Building and Works why no evaluation of the economies to be effected by the merger with his Department of the Works Services of the War Departments was made before that merger took place.

Because the extent of the savings can only emerge as the new organisation is worked out in detail and the successive stages of it are introduced.

Was a proper survey made of the effects of the amalgamation on the military Departments? What sort of consultation did the Parliamentary Secretary have and what advice did he receive, for example, from the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, the Chief Quantity Surveyor and other heads of departments in the War Office organisation?

The details of the new organisation are still being worked out. We hope to make rapid progress on that, and my right hon. Friend intends to press on as fast as possible with the necessary consultations. The original proposal for the amalgamation was made much more from the point of view of the practical advantages which could be obtained from the merging of the various works organisations than from the point of view of direct economy.