§ MR. BOWERMAN (Deptford)To ask the Postmaster-General why auxiliaries and assistant postmen in London are not being paid time allowance for night duty.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The Select Committee on Post Office Servants did not recommend any particular rate of pay for auxiliaries working less than three hours a day, and consequently their case has had to be considered with those of the other smaller cases. As soon as a decision is arrived at the revision will be carried out as regards assistant and auxiliary postmen, and any increase in pay will date from 1st January, 1908. Allowance will be made for night duty.
§ MR. BOWERMANTo ask the Postmaster-General why schedule time of the last delivery has not been allowed in making claims for night duty in certain London offices.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) Payment of the claims for the time allowance for night duty, performed between 8 and 10 p.m. since 1st January, has not yet been made in all cases. As a general rule the scheduled time of finishing the last delivery in London has been, or will be, taken as the basis of the culcalation in arriving at the amounts payable.
§ MR. BOWERMANTo ask the Postmaster-General why those postmen whose breaks in their night duty are less than two hours have been refused payment for the same, although the Postal Committee's Report recommended that 1595 periods of less than two hours night duty should not be booked off.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I am not aware that payment has been refused for periods which have not been booked off. Possibly the hon. Member is alluding to cases in which officers were booked off duty for less than two hours at night under arrangements in force previous to the carrying out of the Select Committee's recommendations. In such cases the Post Office had no control over the time booked off, and extra payment would not therefore have been justified.