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• Two important changes in the organization of the Ministry of Transport were announced this week by the Minister, Mr. Richard Marsh. Research and its support services—economic, statistical, mathematical and scientific—will be directed and coordinated by Mr. J. A. Jukes, Deputy Under Secretary of State, Department of Economic Affairs, with the title director-general (research and economic planning). And a new Policy Planning Unit, with responsibility for longer-term planning, will be headed by Mr. J. R. Madge, Under Secretary, who is currently in charge of the Road Safety Group. Mr. Madge's present responsibilities will be assumed by Mr. L. E. Dale.
The new director-general of research and economic planning will bring together and co-ordinate four main groupings, viz:—
'I. The Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorne, with a staff of 900 and extensive facilities; 2. The Directorate of Economics, rapidly built up under the leadership of Mr. C. D. Foster and currently one of the largest groups of economists in any Government department: 3. The Directorate of Statistics, which is now to be more closely associated with the other research and economic work of the Ministry; and, 4. The Directorate of Scientific Studies, which will take over the existing work of the Ministry's chief scientific adviser and his staff. The Directorate will also be concerned with a number of operational research studies and the existing Mathematical Advisory Unit at the Ministry will form part of the Directorate.
The establishment of the Policy Planning Unit is in line with the Fulton Report recommendation—that exacting day-to-day work frequently caused longer-term issues to be pushed to one side. .