§ Mr. CATORasked whether Mr. W. R. Lilley, of Lincoln, had been appointed by the Insurance Commissioners to explain the provisions of the National Insurance Act; and, if so, whether he had been authorised to hold public meetings, under the name of conferences, for this purpose 1265 in certain constituencies, to which members of friendly societies and all persons interested were specially invited to come and ask questions?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe gentleman referred to has never been employed by the Insurance Commissioners. The hon. Member will find a list of the lecturers employed by the Commissioners on pages 9 and 10 of the White Paper, Cd. 6095.
§ Mr. OLIVER LOCKER-LAMPSONasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his Department encourages the delivery of addresses upon Sunday upon the National Insurance Act by lecturers paid out of public money; and whether he will in any case discontinue the practice?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have nothing to add to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Armagh on 22nd February, and the hon. and gallant Member for East Down on 27th February.
§ Mr. WILLIAM PEELasked whether the appointments to lecturerships under the National Insurance Act for the city of Belfast have been almost exclusively reserved for the nominees of the hon. Member for West Belfast; and whether these lecturers have passed any test or examination or have any qualification except that of being supporters of the aforesaid hon. Member?
§ Mr. MASTERMANNo lecturers have been specially appointed for the city of Belfast. Of the twenty-five appointed for the whole of Ireland nine are at present engaged in Ulster. Of these I am informed that five are Protestant in religion and Unionists in politics, and four are Catholic in religion and Home Rulers in politics. They were selected by the Irish Insurance Commissioners for personal qualifications for the work as well as special knowledge of friendly societies, trade unions and social and philanthropic enterprise. There is, of course, no truth at all in the insinuation contained in the question.
§ Mr. PEELWould the hon. Member be good enough to answer my question, as to whether or not there were eight lecturers appointed from Belfast—not twenty-five from the whole of Ireland; and whether these gentlemen, or six of them, passed any test or any examination—as I ask in my question—which would qualify them for giving these lectures; or if any of them have ever lectured on any subject before?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI fully answered the question.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTIn order to avoid any suspicion of political influence, will the hon. Gentleman undertake that in future all appointments shall be confined to Unionists and Protestants?
§ Mr. PEELWould the hon. Gentleman be good enough to answer my question, as to whether or not these men have passed any test or any examination qualifying them for these posts?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have answered the question again and again. The men were selected by the Irish Insurance Commissioners "for personal qualifications for the work, as well as special knowledge of friendly societies, trade unions, and social and philanthropic enterprises."