§ MR. O'REILLYsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether the following statement, which appeared in The Times of the 5th April, is correct:—
The Secretary for War recently established a branch of his department to codify and revise warrants and regulations issued from the War Office; be has appointed Mr. J. Norman Lockyer to the charge of this branch;whether this duty is part of that formerly discharged by Mr. Orde Marshall, recently superannuated at the age of forty-eight; whether, if so, he will state what pay and allowances are received by Mr. Lockyer for performing this duty; who performs the remainder of the duty formerly performed by Mr. O. Marshall, and what pay and allowance are received for its discharge, and what is the precise economy effected by these changes?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, he was afraid that he could not give his hon. Friend a full explanation of the subject without occupying too much of the time of the House. The short answer, however, which he might give was this. It was true that in December last such a branch was established, consisting of Mr. Lockyer and others, who would receive an extra allowance in addition to their pay. The duty was almost entirely a new one, and it was difficult to state precisely the amount of economy effected by the change, as it formed part of a larger system of reorganization which secured a saving of £4,000 a year. If his hon. Friend wished for a more detailed statement in regard to this branch he would enter into a fuller explanation on going into Committee of Supply.