asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the present staff of the Land Commission; what estimate he has of the amount by which the Land Commission was overstaffed on 1st January this year and is now overstaffed; and what estimate he has of the cost to public funds of this overstaffing.

The staff on 1st October, 1969, was 1,050. On the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to Appendix I of the Third Report of the Public Accounts Committee 1968–69.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary unable to give an estimate of the amount of money thus lost, or is he assuming that money over-paid in salaries here, if not wasted, would have been wasted somewhere else? In any event, is not this over-staffing in a commission whose affairs in any case are highly dubious, something of a public scandal; and who is responsible for it?

If the hon. Gentleman will do me the courtesy of looking up the information to which I have referred he may find that a good deal of the substance of his question is entirely misplaced.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary expect the staff to go up or down during the coming year?

The staff is continually being reviewed and, with the coming of more sophisticated methods, may well go down.