§ MR. LABOUCHEREasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether, in the 478 appointment of the Usher of the Black Rod, the amount of emolument attached to that office will be left subject to the decision of Parliament?
MR. GLADSTONESir, the Usher of the Black Rod was formerly paid from fees on Private Bills, but since 1877 he has been paid by salary. A small portion of his salary—about £170 or £180—is derived from offices of a secondary character which he holds in the Royal Household; but the main salary is £2,000, and that is included in the Vote for the expenses of the House of Lords, and stands, therefore, as far as Parliamentary control is concerned, precisely in the same position as the other items of that Vote.