§ MR. NANNETTI (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regard to the transference of the Royal Philanthropic Society to the Royal Liver Friendly Society, whether in the cases of the transfer of engagements and liabilities of the Swansea Royal Friendly Society to the London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Assurance Company, Limited, of the Royal Oak Friendly Society to another assurance company, and of the case of the Protective Friendly Society to the Victoria Legal Society, any sums of money were paid to the officials of the said societies for compensation for disturbance in office; whether the fact of such payments, if made, was made known to the members of the said societies before the said transfers were authorised; whether there is anything in the Friendly Societies Act prohibiting such compensation being so paid; can any instance be given, or can the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies name any society transferred as a going concern, where there was no payment made for compensation for disturbance or loss of office; whether he is aware that in the case of the transfer of engagements and liabilities of the Swansea Royal Friendly Society to the London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Assurance Company, Limited, of the Royal Oak Friendly Society to another industrial assurance company, and of the like transfer by the Liverpool Protective Friendly Society to the Victoria Legal Friendly Society sums of money were paid by the transferees by way of compensation to officials for disturbance or loss of employment, and that the assent of the members of the societies so transferred to such compensation being paid was apparently not deemed necessary under the Friendly Societies Act by the Chief Registrar, before giving his official sanction to such transfers; and will he explain why more stringent regulations should be enforced in regard to a similar transfer by the Royal Philanthropic Friendly Society to the Royal Liver Friendly Society.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. RUNCIMAN,) DewsburyIn cases of transfer of engagements by one society to another the Chief Registrar is not necessarily informed, and in the instances quoted was not informed, so far as can be ascertained, of the terms of the transfer, which are a matter of arrangement between the societies concerned. It is not the fact that more stringent regulations have been enforced in the present case than were enforced in other similar cases. In every case the requirements of the Friendly Societies Act, 1896, have to be complied with, which provide, among other things, that the assent of five sixths in value of the members shall be obtained. In the present instance opposition has arisen among the members to the transfer on the ground partly of the compensation to be paid to the officers of the transferring society, and on this account the Chief Registrar has felt it his duty to satisfy himself that the necessary assents have been given with full knowledge of the transaction. There is nothing in the Act to prohibit compensation being paid to officials for disturbance in office.