HC Deb 12 February 1920 vol 125 cc198-9
14. Mr. ALFRED DAVIES (Clitheroe)

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received any representations from the Irish Poor Law and District Officers' Association with regard to the fees payable to officials employed in the carrying out of schemes under the Labourers (Ireland) Act; whether he is aware that these fees were fixed by Order in 1906 and are still the same in amount in spite of the increased cost of living, and of the fact that the original period of 12 months for building cottages has been increased to 12 years, thereby increasing the expenses of the officials; whether he has also received a request that the Local Government Board should exercise their statutory power to determine the salaries of the rural district council officials and grant them the Civil Service rate of war bonus, or have the matter referred to arbitration; whether he is aware that only in a few cases have the district councils granted the Civil Service rate of war bonus; and whether the Local Government Board will now exercise their powers and issue an instruction for raising the fees and salaries of these officials in proportion to the increased cost of living?

Mr. MACPHERSON

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The duties of officers of rural district councils under the Labourers' Acts form only a portion of their general services and there is no reason for dealing specially with their remuneration under this head. In a circular issued to local authorities in June, 1919, attention was drawn to the new scale of war bonuses which the Treasury authorised for permanent civil servants, and the Local Government Board suggested to these bodies that they might consider it desirable to take this amended scale for their guidance when fixing or amending war bonuses for their employees. This scale has been adopted by a large number of rural district councils and generally by boards of guardians. Proposals from these bodies for increased war bonuses to their employees in accordance with recent Treasury award to Civil Servants have been sanctioned by the Board.