§ SIR COLMAN O'LOGHLEN (for Mr. SEELY)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether Mr. T. D. Pigott was lately appointed controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, he having previously been a junior clerk in the War Office; whether the Select Committee on Public Departments (Purchases), which sat in 1874, made a special recommendation in Clause 130 of their Report that, on a vacancy occurring in the office of controller
a gentleman should be charged with the duty who combined general intelligence with practical experience, and possessing the requisite technical experience of stationery and printing;and, whether he can assure the House that Mr. Pigott possesses the qualifications thus described by the Committee?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHThe right hon. and learned Member is correct in supposing that Mr. Pigott has been ap- 1850 pointed Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. It is also true that the Select Committee mentioned in the Question made the recommendation to which the right hon. and learned Gentleman has alluded; but it would be extremely difficult to find a gentleman who combines with technical experience of stationery and printing the official experience so necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of this office. Mr. Pigott has served for 17 years as a clerk in the War Office, and has been selected, on more than one occasion, for duties of an important character, which he has performed with ability and satisfaction to his employers. He was selected as secretary to the important Commission on Army Promotion, presided over by Lord Penzance, and has served as private secretary to more than one Under Secretary of State. His official training, intelligence, and capacity for detail amply qualify him, in the opinion of the Prime Minister, for the post to which he has been appointed.