§ MR. WILLIAM WHITELAW (Perth)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he is aware that a number of warders in Her Majesty's General Prison, Perth, who before 1886 had free quarters, were after 1st February of that year 872 charged rents for their house; that upon appeal they were again granted free houses, and the rents charged repaid; but that Warders Easter and Paton, who were among the warders referred to, were made an exception, and have never had the rents, temporarily charged, repaid; and it' be will order the rents charged to be now repaid to these warders? I also beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the exact grounds upon which gas allowance is at present paid to Warders Tannahill and Irvine, of Her Majesty's General Prison, Perth, and the exact grounds upon which gas allowance is not paid to Warders Brown, Kidd, and Esplin of the same prison, who entered the prison service upon precisely the same terms as Warders Tannahill and Irvine?
SIR, GEORGE TREVELYANI can only refer the hon. Member to my official replies to hint, dated, respectively, the 25th November and 15th December last, in which a full explanation was given of the points raised in his two questions. I may add that the decision was arrived at by the late Government after a most careful consideration of the claims of all the warders by a Special Committee appointed by my predecessor, and that I cannot undertake to re-open the question.