§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether it is intended to take such steps in respect to the clerks attached to the Savings Bank Department of the General Post Office as will prevent systematic overtime in that Department; and whether the Order in Council of 21st March 1890, which states that "The salaries of clerks in the Second Division for a daily attendance of seven hours shall be, &c.," has been modified by any subsequent Order in Council, and 1394 whether it can be altered by any Departmental Order?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES, Cambridge University)In reply to the first part of the hon. Member's question, I have to state that I have already limited the amount of extra duty in the Savings Bank Department to three hours daily, although I have received within the last week numerous applications from clerks to be allowed to perform more than that amount of extra duty. I am most anxious to prevent systematic overtime in any branch of my Department; but there are practical difficulties in adjusting the numbers of a force to duties which become specially onerous only at particular seasons of the year. These demands have, until the present year, been readily met by the cordial co-operation of the ordinary staff, who have only very recently expressed their willingness to perform extra duty to a greater extent than I have required from them. With reference to the latter part of the hon. Member's question, I am not aware of any alteration having been made in the Order in Council to which he refers. I understand the words quoted by the hon. Member to indicate a normal or minimum attendance of seven hours per day, all time beyond that being paid for extra.