HC Deb 05 March 1908 vol 185 cc892-4
Mr. J. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the present state of the finances of the Congested Districts Board; whether he is aware that this Board, which apparently has not sufficient money to carry on its legitimate work, employs and pays out of its own funds a large clerical staff recruited with-out Civil Service examination, which is paid at rates altogether out of proportion to their value as judged by either a commercial standard or the standard pay of ordinary Civil Servants; whether he is aware that some of these temporary clerks are drawing salaries of £250 per annum while the maximum salary paid to temporary clerks in several Government offices is only £78 per annum; and whether he will take steps to see that further wastage in this direction is stopped, and that the funds of the Board may be applied, with as little administrative expense as possible, to the relief of the poor people for whose benefit the Board was established.

Mr. BIRRELL

The Congested Districts Board inform me that their clerical staff consists of seventy-seven persons, of whom thirteen are permanent civil servants, and sixty-four are temporary clerks appointed by the Board. One of the latter, who has fifteen years service, has a salary of £200, and the salaries of the remaining sixty-three vary from £78 to £180, and average £100 per annum. The Beard's solicitor employs six clerks with legal training, and one typist. The average salary of these six clerks is £150 per annum. Temporary clerks in Government offices are usually employed for the simplest and least responsible duties, but owing to the restricted number of permanent Civil Servants in the Board's office, it is not possible to adopt this course. The Congested Districts Board claim that the average cost of their entire clerical staff is lower than that of any other Government Department in Dublin.

Mr. J. MACVEAGH

Why does such a large proportion of the staff consist of temporary clerks?

Mr. BIRRELL

Because they find that the best course to adopt

Mr. J. MACVEAGH

Is it not because the officials desire to get into the office persons who cannot pass the examiner.

Mr. BIRRELL

I feel sure it is not so.

Mr. HAYDEN (Roscommon, S.)

Are the temporary clerks paid out of the income of the Congested Districts Board?

Mr. BIRRELL

Certainly they are.