§ CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, whether two staff clerks of the Accountant General's Department of the Admiralty who have recently been promoted to the higher division have, in consequence of their promotion, had their salaries reduced by nearly half; whether their new salaries have been determined in accordance with Clause 5 of' the Treasury Minute, dated 1st May 1890; and, if not, will he explain on what grounds; and, what is the difference between their case and that of the staff clerk in the same department promoted to the higher division in January 1895, who did not suffer any reduction in salary on his promotion?
§ * MR. HANBURYThe commencing salary of the class to which the clerks referred to have now been appointed is £150. They have been allowed to enter it with initial salaries of £231 and £208 respectively, being the rates to which they would have attained if they had continued serving as clerks of the second division until the date of their new appointment. Within the last two years, however, both these clerks had been specially appointed to Staff Posts, in which they were receiving salaries of £365 each. There is no difficulty in obtaining competent clerks of the Upper Division at a commencing salary of £150, and the Treasury cannot sanction the appointment to such places of persons at at a rate of salary altogether above that which will provide for the duties of the office. The merits of the two clerks referred to had been liberally recognised by their appointment to staff posts carrying salaries of £350 to £450, and it was for them to consider whether it was for their advantage to accept the appointments on the conditions on which they could be offered. The circumstances attending the appointment of the staff clerk in 1895 do not appear to 971 have been fully appreciated at the time, and I cannot accept it as a binding precedent.