§ 27. Mr. BARNESasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the new regulations authorising the payment of full civil pay to Post Office servants enlisted in all ranks for postal and telegraph work in the Royal Engineers, the possibility of extending this concession 394 to other Civil servants who have joined other branches of the forces will be considered; whether, as regards the latter, he is aware that the distinction now made by allowing full civil pay less 7s. to noncommissioned officers and privates and allowing nothing to those holding commissions sometimes results in a commissioned officer receiving less income than a non-commissioned officer; and whether, in view of the advisability of encouraging efficiency, this distinction will be removed?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Acland)I see no reason for extending to Civil servants generally the arrangements made in special circumstances for certain Postal servants enlisted in the Royal Engineers under special conditions of long standing for special postal and signalling duties. With regard to the latter part of the question the hon. Member is under a misapprehension. A permanent whole-time Civil servant who holds a commission receives his civil salary less his Army pay, Army allowances being ignored, and would consequently only receive no civil pay if his Army pay alone was not less than his civil salary.