§ Mr. SNOWDENasked what amount was allocated by the Treasury in respect of the alteration in the status of the Local Government Board; and what proportion of such amount has been allocated to the second division and to the members of the staff above the rank of second division?
§ Mr. BURNSOn the improvement of the status of my Department certain salaries of the permanent staff were advanced the increases amounting to £655. The second division clerks did not receive any portion of this amount as they are paid on a scale uniform throughout the Civil Service. I am, however, at the present moment in communication with the Treasury with a view to, obtaining some improvement in the prospects of the members of that division serving in my Department.
§ Mr. SNOWDENasked how many second-class clerks of the higher division, appointed under the Order in Council of the 15th August, 1890, have entered the Local Government Board since the date of such Order, and how many of them have been promoted to higher posts; how many second division clerks, appointed under the Order in Council of the 21st March, 1890, have entered the Local Government Board since the date of such Order, and how many of them have been promoted to the higher division and to other posts respectively; what was the average length of service and the average increase in salary respectively of the second-class clerks of the higher division and the second division clerks promoted; and what effect precisely had the alteration in 1910 of the status of the Local Government Board in the salaries of second-class clerks of the higher division and second division clerks respectively?
§ Mr. BURNSThe number of second-class clerks of the higher division of the Board's staff who entered their service since 15th August, 1890, is forty-one of these, twenty have been promoted to higher posts. The corresponding number of second division clerks who entered the Board's service since 21st March, 1890, is 115, of whom one has been promoted to the higher division and two to staff posts. The average length of service of the second-class clerks and the average increase in their salaries on promotion were nine and a quarter years and £131 respectively. The average length of service of the promoted 198 second division clerks was approximately fourteen years. In two cases only was there an immediate increase in salary; the average amount of the increase was £53. As regards the last part of my hon. Friend's question, perhaps I may refer him to my previous answer.
§ Mr. SNOWDENAre we to assume, then, from that reply that only one second division clerk has been promoted to the higher division in the last twenty-one years?
§ Mr. BURNSBut that is to be qualified by another statement, that, out of the forty-two of the higher division named since 1890, twenty have been promoted to higher posts, and others who came in before 1890 have been promoted in considerable numbers.