§ 36. Mr. KELLYasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that the unestablished messengers employed at His Majesty's Land Registry have applied to that Department for the application of the agreement fixing messengers' rates of pay to them and that, in accordance with the terms of those agreements, they are asking that the whole of their past service as messengers should be allowed to count for increment purposes; whether he is aware that this has been done in all other Departments; and whether he will take steps to have this matter adjusted in His Majesty's Land Registry and all the unestablished messengers' past service allowed to count for increment purposes in accordance with the usual Civil Service practice?
§ The ATTORNEY - GENERAL (Sir Douglas Hogg)I understand that the 375 messengers in the Land Registry have claimed that their pay should be adjusted in accordance with Award A.81 of the Civil Service Arbitration Board dated 20th September, 1920. The agreement embodied in the award referred to is not applicable to these messengers. Their case was settled by the Reorganisation Scheme of 1923, which was adopted after discussion and in agreement with accredited representatives of the men concerned. There is therefore no case for modifying the pay of these men in the direction desired.
§ Mr. KELLYIn view of that reply, and the fact that it is some time since this matter was under consideration, will the Attorney-General give consideration to the claim made by these men that all their past service should be allowed to count for increment purposes?
§ The ATTORNEY- GENERALOf course, that is not a matter within my control, but I will pass the suggestion on to the proper Department.
§ 37. Mr. KELLYasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that the work performed by the established messengers employed at His Majesty's Land Registry, and who are in charge of groups of unestablished indexers, is work of a special character; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the application which these men have submitted for the scale of salaries laid down for work of a special character such as this in the Treasury letter, dated 11th June, 1921, dealing with the pay of established record keepers, with a view to this scale being granted to the men concerned at His Majesty's Land Registry, and also into the position of the established messengers at His Majesty's Land Registry who are in charge of groups of unestablished indexers, with a view to the status of these established messengers being altered to established record keepers?
§ The ATTORNEY - GENERALThe claim of these established messengers that they should have extended to them the special scale approved for certain other Departments by Treasury letter dated the 11th June, 1921, has been carefully examined, but the conclusion has been reached that the duties of the men 376 in question do not justify the application of the special scale. The Land Registry have therefore been unable to admit the claim. Inquiry will be made into the question whether the men should be given the status of established record keepers.
§ The ATTORNEY-GENERALI understand the matter is being considered.