asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the total number of staff, including civilians, now employed in the Air Ministry in London; over how many buildings these are spread; what is the approximate total office space involved; what were the comparative figures on 1st January, 1947, or the nearest date for which such information is available; and whether substantial administrative economies have been obtained from the concentration of staff in a smaller number of buildings.

The following table gives the information required:

AIR MINISTRY HEADQUARTERS, LONDON.
Date.	Total Number of Staff Accommodated.	Number of Buildings.	Approximate Area, of Office Space involved (sq. ft.).
1st January, 1947.	8,777	34	830,000
1st December, 1947	7,903	31	730,000

My Department is thus still divided between a large number of small and widely scattered buildings, many of which were not designed as offices. This results from the general shortage of office space in London, and its consequence is to impose a very great handicap on efforts to obtain administrative economies.