§ Considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That it is expedient to authorise the payment, out of moneys to be provided by Parliament, of Superannuation Allowances or Gratuities to certain persons under the provisions of any Act of the present Session, to amend the Acts relating to Pensions, Compensation, Allowances, and Gratuities to persons in respect of having held office in the Public Service."—(Mr. William Henry Smith.)
§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)I have no intention of offering any oppo- 3 sition to this Resolution which is to form the substance of a Bill, but I wish to point out to the First Lord of the Treasury that the Bill itself was not distributed this morning, and although as far as I can see it is one which we should all desire to see passed, yet it deals with matters of considerable importance, and it is quite impossible for Members who have no official position to form a judgment as to the important proposition contained in it.
§ MR. W. H. SMITHI recognise the fairness of the observations which have fallen from the right hon. Gentleman— that is to say, that the Bill is an absolutely new Bill, presented to the House for the first time, but the hon. Gentleman is aware that the measure simply carries out a portion of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service which have been before the House for a considerable period. The Bill has been introduced in answer to questions which have been put to the Government from both sides of the House. It has been impossible to deal with the recommendations of the Commission completely, because they involve questions of a most important character which would require great consideration at the hands of the House, but we have arrived at the opinion that we might ask the House to go as far as the provisions of this Bill go. If, however, there is any general objection to the measure it will not, of course, be possible to press it in the present Session. It is our desire, as far as possible, to close the door upon some of the evils which have been reported upon by the Commission. I would therefore ask the House to assent to the Bill.
§ MR. BRADLAUGHI quite feel the force of what the right hon. Gentleman has said, and I shall be extremely reluctant, either now or at any subsequent stage of the measure, to offer any opposition; but, in the hasty glance I have been able to give at the Bill, I find there is one matter, at any rate, which was not before the Royal Commission at all. I do not suggest that the point to which I refer is dealt with improperly, but I certainly understood the Chancellor of the Exchequer to say on more than one 4 occasion the recommendations of the Royal Commissioners were of such a serious nature that they would require the gravest consideration on the part of the Government. Although I have no doubt that the Government have arrived at an impartial decision, still it must not be forgotten that if the House of Commons passes this Bill it adopts that decision.
§ SIR G. CAMPBELLI have been very much comforted by the statement of the First Lord of the Treasury that this is only an instalment, and a partial instalment. In that view I hope the Bill will pass this Session, because it will stop a good many leaks from which the public money is oozing away, and, so far, it is a good measure. But I hope there will be a clear understanding that it is only a partial Bill, and that it will be enlarged or amended hereafter.
§ MR. BLANE (Armagh, S.)I wish to draw attention to the fact that, in regard to these superannuation allowances, usually when the Estimates are submitted to the House, we constantly see men who are in the receipt of pensions turning up for public employment, to the exclusion of other men who are very well qualified For instance, I am acquainted with the case of a man who was discharged from the service in which he was then engaged and voted a pension, and who has now received a new appointment.
THE CHAIRMANI must point out that the remarks of the hon. Gentleman are not relevant to the Resolution.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Resolution to be reported to-morrow.