§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is aware that no reply has been received by the Admiralty and Outport Clerical Federation to the petition forwarded to the Admiralty in January, 1908, on behalf of the writing staff at the Admiralty and Royal dockyards; and whether, in view of the fact that the reply to this petition was included in the recommendations of the Macnamara Staffing Committee, which made its report in September, 1909, and that an announcement cannot be made pending the decision of the Government on the matter, he can fix a date by which the decision of the Government on the Committee's recommendations will be communicated to the petitioners?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSECertain proposals were made by the Admiralty in the course of last year which, having regard to the conditions of service of similar classes in other Departments, the Treasury did not feel able to sanction. Pending further communications on the subject, I am unable to fix a date for the announcement of the decision.