§ MR. DELANY (Queen's County, Ossory)To ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that in the Agricultural Department during the coming financial year the expenditure will show an increase of approximately £5,000, applied towards raising the salaries of the higher officials; and whether he will give the names of the higher officials whose salaries are thus to be increased, with the amount of increase in each case, and also the names of the officials on whose recommendation the Department adopted these proposals.
(Answered by Mr. T. W. Russell.) The hon. Member is misinformed. The increase of £5,007 in the provision for salaries and wages in the Department's Estimate for 1908–9 includes: (1) the automatic increments of the salaries of officers of all grades who are on authorised scales of salary and are not at the maximum of the respective scales; (2) the additional charge required for the operation of the new scale for Second Division clerks throughout the Civil Service generally, sanctioned under Order in Council of 21st December, 1907; (3) the cost of additional necessary appointments. The number of special increases in the salaries of higher officials is six, and the amount is £584. These increases were recommended to the Treasury by myself on being satisfied of the merits of each case. The particulars are as follows:—Secretarv, £200; Chief veterinary inspector, £100; two fisheries inspectors, £50 each 985 on promotion; one technical instruction inspector, £155 on promotion from post of junior inspector to that of inspector of technical instruction. One agricultural inspector, £29 on promotion from post of junior inspector to that of agricultural inspector.