§ 19. Sir BERTRAM FALLEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that the revision of the pay of established men in the Royal Dockyards in 1909 reduced the pay of established men, but gave bonuses on retirement to certain classes of established men; that a definite sum is deducted ach week from the pay of established men, so that a hired man, who receives no pension, gets as much as 2s. per week more than the established man doing similar work; and if ho can say what is the object of this deduction and to what purposes the money so deducted is assigned?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe hon. and gallant Member is mistaken in supposing that any reduction of the pay of established men working in His Majesty's Dockyards took place in 1900. The Superannuation Act of that year affected them as regards superannuation benefits in common with all other civil servants of the Crown and this is presumably what is referred to. As regards the second part of the question, no actual deductions are made from the wages of the established men. There is a well recognised distinction made between the rate of pay of a hired man and that of an established man of similar grade. The last part of the question does not, therefore, arise.
§ Sir B. FALLECan the right hon. Gentleman say why any reduction is made in the pay of these established men?
Mr. ALEXANDERI have already said that no reduction is made as such in respect of superannuation. I have referred to the differential rates of pay which are based on the conditions of the whole service, including that of security of tenure.
§ Mr. W. J. BROWNIs it not the case that if an unestablished man becomes established there is a reduction of 10 per cent. in bonus and does not that mean a reduction in the amount of his pension?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe differential rates of pay are based not on the question of superannuation alone but on the whole conditions of service, including the important question of security of tenure of those men who are on the establishment.