§ MR. BAZLEYsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for India, What compensation the Government intend offering to the Indian Medical Retiring Funds for the losses now incurred by those institutions through the non-accession of fresh subscribers, resulting from orders passed by the Home Government in 1858; and to inquire what compensation is to be offered to the medical officers of the late Honourable East India Company's Service for the loss of the several valuable administrative medical appointments which have been recently transferred to medical officers of Her Majesty's British Army serving in India, as all the rights and privileges of the medical officers of the Indian Army were secured to them by a Parliamentary guarantee when their services were transferred to the Crown?
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEsaid, in reply, that the Government had offered, conditionally on the transfer of the medical retiring funds to them, that they would guarantee the present incumbents upon the funds the pensions and allowances to which they would be entitled according to the regulations now in force. But the officers and managers of the medical retiring funds had been informed that if 390 they would not agree to this transfer to the Government they might retain the management of the funds in their own hands, and in that case it would be a question what compensation for loss sustained would be payable by the Government. The result was, that after the communication made in August last the managers of the Bengal medical fund agreed to the terms proposed by the Government, and they had transferred the funds in their hands at the time. With regard to Madras and Bombay, the managers had not chosen to avail themselves of the offer, but preferred to retain the management in their own hands. In regard to the second Question of the hon. Gentleman, those administrative medical appointments referred to were in the nature of staff appointments. Those staff appointments had necessarily been reduced in numbers in consequence of the reduction of the force belonging to the Indian Government; but in this, ns well as other respects, the medical service had been liberally treated in all the arrangements made in the organization of the army. Both promotions and pensions had been increased, and everything was done in respect to the staff appointments to make the change acceptable.