HC Deb 24 June 1890 vol 345 cc1792-3
MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)

I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether seven members of the first-class of clerks in the Telegraph Department of the Belfast Post Office hold the additional appointment of provincial clerks in charge; whether five of these had this appointment bestowed upon them in recognition of long service and in consequence of their having been, at the time at which it was conferred, superseded in promotion to the first-class; if so, upon what grounds were they permitted to retain this appointment subsequently, on receiving promotion to the first-class; whether the discharge of the duties incident to that of provincial clerks in charge obliges the holders of the position to be absent for long periods from Belfast; and, if so, have their duties during their absence to be discharged by members of the second-class without any extra remuneration, and does their absence also cause present members of the first-class, who are not provincial clerks in charge, to be more frequently employed upon night duty; and, if this be so, whether he will constitute the present holders of the position of provincial clerks in charge supernumeraries upon the staff of the Belfast Post Office, and promote an equivalent number of the second-class to be members of the first-class, so that members of this class shall not be called upon to undertake responsible first-class duties without the emoluments appertaining to the position?

MR RAIKES

In reply to the hon. Member, I have to state that although the case is not quite as stated in the question—inasmuch as the number of first class clerks at Belfast who act as provincial clerks in charge is six and not seven, and their appointments were not given for the reasons assigned—the aggregate absence of these officers from Belfast has been unduly large, and I am considering whether similar appointments should not be made at other offices in the North of Ireland, so as to relieve the pressure at Belfast. The Secretary to the Post Office in Ireland has the matter in hand, and will give it his early attention.