CLASS VI. (Hansard, 27 February 1890)

§ (4.30.) MR. A. O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)
I should like to receive from the hon. Gentleman the Secretary to the Treasury some information in reference to the offices of the Supreme Court. The reason I press for it is this: There was in 1880 a reorganisation of the offices, and the result was that a large number of persons drew considerable salaries without doing any work, the Government not being prepared to superannuate them nor to utilise their services. Two have since died, and three have been placed on the pension list, but for a long time they were kept on the books on full pay. It may be that there may be difficulties of the same kind hereafter, and it is to be hoped that some different arrangement will be made. I hope the Secretary to the Treasury will inform us what has been done in regard to this matter.

§ (4.31.) THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON, Leeds, N.)
I am afraid I am hardly prepared to discuss the general question of re-organisation; but I may tell the hon. Gentleman that the re-organisation which has taken place has no elements in it likely to lead to difficulty such as he has described. It was no part of my duty to call on the gentlemen referred to to perform duties other than those for which they were originally engaged, and as those duties had lapsed they continued to draw their salaries as stated.

§ (4.32.) MR. H. H. FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)
There are two questions I wish to put to the hon. Gentleman the Secretary to the Trea- 1353 sury. One is as to pensions granted to two officers, one of £1,333, and the other of £1,233. I observe that the services rendered appear to have been about the same; but there is a difference of £100 a year in the pensions in the case of one who had served 27 years, against the other who served 36 years. I should like to know the reason for that. I should also like to hear from the hon. Gentleman what are the intentions of the Government with regard to the whole question of superannuation. The Commission appointed to inquire into the matter made an elaborate Report upon it and a Bill was brought in during the last week of last Session, when, however, there was not time to pass it into law. We have, I think, a right to ask Her Majesty's Government to deal with the matter this Session. The question is a very grave one, and one that involves the country in a very large expenditure.

§ MR. JACKSON
I should prefer, if the right hon. Gentleman will allow it, that any discussion which it may be desirable to raise on the general question should be deferred until the introduction of a Bill, or until the general Estimates are reached. I believe it is the intention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to introduce a Bill on the subject. With regard to the question the right hon. Gentleman asked about two varying pensions for apparently equal services, the explanation is to be found in the additional allowances for professional qualifications.