§ MR. BURT (Morpeth)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether he has yet decided in what manner to reduce the Clerical Establishment at the Admiralty; and, if so, what the arrangements are; and whether, in case no arrangements have yet been made, they will be included in the Estimates for the forthcoming financial year?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON) (Middlesex, Ealing)For the past two years I have stopped all entries for the Higher Division of the Civil Service in the Admiralty, and I was prepared to recommend considerable reductions in the existing establishment; but the Resolution passed by the House on the 12th of June of this year, which the Government opposed, has prevented me from effecting this alteration, The conclusion of that Resolution ran as follows:—
That in any future re-organizations, officials who are still able and willing to render service for the public money shall be provided with employment in other Departments, instead of being forced to become useless burdens upon the country.The number of Higher Division clerks at the Admiralty is in excess of the work they have to do; but as there are no vacancies in other Departments to which they can be transferred, I am compelled to retain them, though every year they so remain increases the amount of the pension they will ultimately become entitled to.