§ MR. A. DEWAR (Edinburgh, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been directed to a Minute issued on 14th September, 1893, by the Secretary for Scotland, with the consent of the Treasury, regulating the terms and conditions on which the engrossing clerks in the Register House, Edinburgh, were to receive gratuities on retirement, and that the said terms and conditions were to the effect that the gratuity should be calculated on £120 a year or the average of three years, whichever was greater; whether, until May, 1906, the Treasury recognised that this Minute formed an essential part of the contract between the 732 engrossing clerks and the Government, and regularly paid gratuities to retiring clerks calculated on the larger of the two sums; whether the said Minute still regulates the rate of gratuities paid; whether clerks who have retired since 1906 have been paid at the same rate as those who retired before that date; and, if not, why not.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HOBHOUSE,) Bristol, E.I fear I can add nothing to the Answer given by my predecessor on 19th August last to a similar Question by the hon. Member.
§ MR. A. DEWARMay I ask whether those clerks who have retired since 1906 are receiving a different rate of gratuitous pay from those who retired formerly?
§ MR. HOBHOUSEsaid it was impossible for the Treasury to pay a larger pension than that to which the clerks were legally entitled.
§ MR. A. DEWARsaid that did not answer his Question. What he wanted to know was whether a lower pension rate was now paid than was paid eighteen months ago, and if so why.
§ MR. HOBHOUSEreplied that in certain cases he believed that was the case.
§ MR. A. DEWARHas the hon. Gentleman given notice to the officials that their pay will be reduced while they are yet in the service, or is it reduced without notice?
§ MR. HOBHOUSEasked for notice of the Question.
§ MR. A. DEWARgave notice that he would call attention to the matter at the earliest possible moment.