HC Deb 02 June 1913 vol 53 cc575-7
42. Mr. F. HALL

asked if the right hon. Gentleman will state on whose advice the recent appointment of a Second Secretary to the Board of Trade was made; if, in addition to the Secretaries to the Board, there is an Assistant-Secretary for each important branch; what are the circumstances which made the appointment of an additional secretary necessary; how long Mr. G. S. Barnes has been in the service of the Board; what position did he occupy before entering the service; on whose recommendation he was appointed originally; and whether such appointment was the result of competition of any kind?

Mr. BUXTON

The work of the Board of Trade has developed and increased so much of late years that it had become essential to relieve the Permanent Secretary of part of the work which now falls upon him by the appointment of a Second Secretary. The decision was reached after careful consideration of the whole question by the Permanent Secretary and myself in consultation with the Treasury. The Permanent Secretary in the ordinary course, as head of the Department, made his recommendation to me as to the most suitable person for the post; and, after considering all the circumstances of the case, I concurred in his recommendation. Mr. Barnes, whom I have appointed to the post, is senior, as head of the Department, by over four years to all the other heads of Departments in the Board of Trade, including the Assistant-Secretaries. He has been for twenty years in the service of the Board, and for nine years head of a Department, which ranks with an Assistant-Secretaryship. Mr. Barnes' original appointment in the Board of Trade service in 1893 was that of a Second Official Receiver, which was not a post filled by open competition. Previous to that he was a practising barrister of ten years' standing. He was appointed Second Official Receiver by Mr. Mundella, then President. He was subsequently appointed Senior Official Receiver in 1896 by Mr. Ritchie; and in 1904 Mr. Gerald Balfour appointed him head of the Companies Department. I may add that, while Mr. Barnes' responsibilities and work will be increased by his appointment as Second Secretary, his salary remains the same as before. As President, I am, of course, solely responsible for the appointment, and I do not think that anyone acquainted with the circumstances will doubt the expediency of the creation of the new post or the fitness of the officer appointed thereto.