§ LORD HUGH CECIL (Greenwich)I beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works—(1) whether the Treasury were consulted before the recent abolition of the office of deerkeeper in Greenwich Park was carried out, and whether they approved of it; (2) whether the Treasury have since found themselves prevented by law from extending to Mr. Jordan, the late deerkeeper, special abolition terms of pension; (3) whether there is any precedent for abolishing an office without giving a special pension to the holder except in cases where such a holder has been accused of some misconduct; and (4) whether the First Commissioner can give any relief to Mr. Jordan from the hardship of his compulsory and uncompensated retirement?
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLASThe answer to the first two paragraphs of my noble Friend's Question is in the affirmative. Mr. Jordan has been granted a compensa- 78 tion allowance of £29 3s. 4d. per annum but the Treasury inform me that they are precluded from making any addition to the ordinary rate of pension, in view of the fact that Mr. Jordan's retirement cannot be shown to result in any direct saving. I regret that I have no power to alter this decision.