HC Deb 30 June 1882 vol 271 cc924-5
MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether Viscount Crichton's Committee, which reported in 1878, expressed the opinion that the present Secretary of the Board of Works in Ireland, after a service of more than forty years, was entitled to retire upon a pension; whether they did not recommend that he should be replaced by an officer who would be able to relieve the Commissioners of some of their less important duties; and, whether the Government propose to take any, and, if any, what notice of the recommendation; and also whether his attention has been called to the following expressions in the Report of Viscount Crichton's Committee upon the Board of Works, Ireland:— Nothing can be further from our intention than to depreciate the merits of the present Chairman… It is possible, however, that after so long a service, rendered peculiarly arduous in consequence of the incomplete constitution of the Board, he may now feel unequal to the strain which our view of the responsibilities would necessarily entail, so as to enable him to do full justice to himself as well as to the Department; and, if so, while regretting that the Board should be deprived of the advantage of his great experience, we think that he should be afforded an opportunity of retiring, and that a special pension should be secured to him; whether such opportunity has been afforded; and, whether the Government propose to take any steps to secure the efficiency of the Board of Works in the directions indicated by the above-mentioned Committee?

MR. COURTNEY

Sir, I have read the paragraph referred to in the Report of the Committee presided over by the noble Viscount the Member for Fermanagh; but I observe that the noble Viscount himself dissented from it. With reference to these questions, I may say that they refer to a large scheme of re-organization of the Board of Works, and consideration of this was at first delayed in consequence of the pressure of relief operations during the Distress, and is now held over until we know something more of the working of the Land Commission.

Subsequently,

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

asked the hon. Gentleman to answer the last two paragraphs of the Question.

MR. COURTNEY

, in reply, said, he thought he had already explained that the two recommendations referred to formed part of the scheme for the reorganization of the Board of Works; but circumstances in recent years had not been favourable to the carrying out of that scheme.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

Are we to understand that those officers who were years ago reported to be inefficient were to be indefinitely retained at the head of this important Department?

MR. COURTNEY

I demur to the statement of the hon. Member and to his conclusions.