HC Deb 03 May 1923 vol 163 cc1583-5
67. Mr. JOHN JONES

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in the arrangement between the Treasury and the Corps of Commissionaires

temporary civil servants receive less salary than the permanent civil servant, he will state what is the reason for the differentiation in salary?

Major TRYON

As the answer is a lengthy one, I am circulating it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer:

neither the British Museum nor its trustees are mentioned; that copies of this arrangement were given to the men employed in the Museum in January, 1921, some time after application had been made to the Civil Service Arbitration Board for their case to be again put on the list; whether he is aware that the men's case was prejudiced by being withdrawn from arbitration in December, 1920, after it had been waiting since July of that year, and, being dealt with in 1921, no award was given until March, 1922; and whether, in view of all the circumstances, and also of the fact that the trustees of the British Museum have not applied to the men the provisions of the Treasury letter of January, 1921, under which the weekly wage staffs were to be given a 48-hour week, he will reconsider the decision not to grade these men?

The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Major Boyd-Carpenter)

As stated in answer to previous questions, no arrangement exists between the Treasury and the Corps of Commissionaires in regard to the commissionaires in the British Museum. Any postponement in the presentation of the commissionaires' case to the Civil Service Arbitration Board was due to the commissionaires' own action, and there is no reason to suppose that their case was prejudiced thereby. On the contrary, they benefited, inasmuch as they received an improvement in their rate of remuneration in the intervening period, and were relieved of certain payments to the Corps of Commissionaires for which they had been previously liable. The question of grading has already been fully considered, and I am not aware that the decision reached on this point, is in any way affected by the hours worked by the commissionaires.