§ MR. HAZELLI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, in reference to the Architect to the Education Department, what amount he annually received in fees from public departments in addition to his three salaries amounting in all to £1,105; whether he is also allowed to carry on a private practice; and whether it is intended, as vacancies occur, to abolish the system of payment partly by salary and partly by fees in this and similar appointments?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. W. HANBURY,) Preston.The architect does not in feet receive any fees from public departments in addition to the three salaries specifically provided in the Estimates. He is entitled to an allowance of three guineas a day when employed in the inspection of sites and buildings for the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Department, and £30 is annually provided for that purpose in Class III., Vote 8, of the Civil Service Estimates. But the architect has not yet been called upon to perform the duty and has not drawn the allowance. I am informed that the footnote to the Estimate for the Education Department, which states that he is occasionally employed by the Charity Commissioners, is no longer accurate, and ought to have been omitted. The architect 323 is allowed to carry on private practice. I cannot give any general undertaking that payments partly by salary and partly by fees will be abolished in all such appointments when vacancies occur. Whether an inclusive or a retaining salary is to be preferred must depend upon the special circumstances in each case.