§ MR. C.L. ORR-EWING (Ayr Burghs)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the Estimates for the year contain no proposal to increase the salary of any superior officer in the Scottish Prison Service, he would explain to the House why the recommendations of the Secretary for Scotland on this subject have not received favourable consideration at the hands of the Treasury?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY,) PrestonThe Secretary for Scotland made six proposals. Four of these were approved in full. One was approved in part—we gave the two extra doctors he asked for, and made a suggestion as to re-arranging the salaries of the medical staff generally, instead of increasing the salaries of two in particular. The sixth request, i.e. that for increased pay to chaplains, was refused on the ground that it was not necessary, and this refusal was in accordance with the Report of the Committee of 1889, which inquired fully into this subject.
§ MR. ORR-EWINGI beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the salaries of the Prison Commissioners and prison warders in Scotland and England have been conformed to the same rate of pay, he could state what the reason is why those of the chaplains and medical officers are not so conformed, the fact of a discrepancy unfavourable to Scotland having been pointed out by them to the Commissioners and the Secretary for Scotland?
§ MR. HANBURYThe hon. Member is wrong in his premiss. The salaries of the Prison Commissioners are not the same, nor are those of the prison warders. Without admitting that the pay should be the same, when the circumstances are different, the Treasury has expressed its readiness to consider a redistribution of emoluments in the case of medical officers.