§ Mr. HAYDN JONESasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Customs and Excise Amalgamation Committee have taken, or will take, into consideration the difference in the number and length of service of assistants promoted in the Customs and Excise branches, respectively?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe Report of the Committee will be issued in a few days. I regret that I do not feel able to make any statement in anticipation of that Report.
§ Mr. HAYDN JONESasked whether the assistants of Customs and Excise (new entrants), now employed continuously on clerical duties in the Customs Department, 567 receive at least £82 4s. in their first year of service, while assistants of Customs (old scheme), employed on similar duties for the same number of hours per day and days per annum, receive £80 only in their third year of service?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am afraid that I cannot add anything to the answer I gave to the hon. Member's similar question on 25th ultimo.
§ Mr. HAYDN JONESasked whether, since the issue of the Excise transfer Order in Council, the number of promotions of assistants of Excise has been over three times that of assistants of Customs, although the former had little more than half the years of service of the latter; and, if so, whether this difference has been brought about by holding open for several months in 1909 a number of vacancies in the grade of second class examining officer, and by transferring assistants of Customs and appointing the majority of new entrants to the Excise branch in 1910, thus setting free assistants of Excise for promotion?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am informed that the answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative, to the second in the negative. The number of higher posts open to Excise assistants in their organisation is nearly three times the number open to Customs assistants in their organisation.
§ Mr. HAYDN JONESasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in order to meet the increase in pension work in the Excise branch, a number of new stations have been created, necessitating the promotion of a number of assistants and a considerable increase of staff; whether, to meet the increase of work in the Customs branch due to the introduction of the new system of accounts, examining officers are being employed on overtime and assistants of Customs are being employed, acting in a superior capacity, thus obviating the necessity of increasing the staff and promoting assistants to examining officers; and, if so, can he state the necessity for this difference in treatment which appears to operate to the detriment of the Customs officers?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe Old Age Pensions Act has been in operation for two and a-half years, the new system of warehousing accounts for three months only. Further experience of the latter is required before the necessity for permanent 568 increases of staff can be properly gauged; much of the work now being done on overtime will not recur.