§ MR. RYLANDSsaid, he would beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether it is true, as stated in the public papers, that a Memorial has been presented by the Foreign Office Agents praying for compensation on the abolition of their agencies; and, if that is the case, whether he will give the House an opportunity of expressing an opinion upon the subject before the sanction of the Treasury is given to such compensation?
§ MR. STANSFELDsaid, in the absence of his right hon. Friend, he would beg to state that the Treasury had received a communication from the Foreign Office, urging the claims of the clerks who had been obliged to give up Foreign Office agencies to compensation. The Treasury had considered the subject, and had replied to the Foreign Office that, in their opinion, there was a claim for compensation. In making that communication, they said it must be understood that no payment should be made, and that no right should be assumed to have resulted from the Treasury concurrence with the Foreign Office view, until the proposed compensation had been presented in a Supplementary Estimate, and decided by the vote of the House.