asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (how many officials, clerks and industrial workers, respectively, are employed by Her Majesty's Government; and what is the cost to the taxpayer of their salaries and other expenses.

On 1st January, 1954, there were 657,385 non-industrial civil servants, of whom about 226,000 were in the clerical, sub-clerical and typing grades; these figures include 248,338 Post Office staff. There were also 434,604 industrial civil servants.

For the year ended 30th September, 1953, the salaries and wages bill for the non-industrial staff was £349.6 million. I regret that similar information for the industrial staff is not readily available.

Will the Treasury do all in their power to reduce the number of the civil servants who are non-producers and who do not help the trade of the country?

Without accepting the implication in my hon. Friend's question against officials whose duty it is to carry out the duties which this House imposes on them, I would remind him that since the change of Government there has been a substantial reduction in the total.

Keep going on.