HC Deb 23 February 1937 vol 320 cc1827-8
57. Mr. Thurtle

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Ipswich, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, whether, in view of the fact that the refreshment department of County Hall, the headquarters of the London County Council, has abolished the practice of tipping and has placed all its waiting staff on a trade union basis of pay and conditions, he will give consideration to the possibility of introducing a similar change in the Refreshment Department of this House?

Sir John Ganzoni

The committee is sympathetic to the hon. Member's suggestion for the abolition of tipping but this is impracticable as the wages of the waiting staff would have to be raised all round. The extra cost would have to be passed on to hon. Members in the form of increased charges unless the Treasury were to restore the annual subvention withdrawn in 1922, or preferably were to defray the cost of staff and equipment as in other departments of this House. There is no analogy between the House of Commons with its 156 sitting days last year and the County Hall where the waitresses serve 1,200 luncheons on every working day of the year to all officials and clerical staff on the premises as well as to members of the London County Council.

Mr. Thurtle

Will the hon. Baronet consider the two possible solutions of this problem indicated in the course of his reply; and will he also consider the system in vogue in the Royal Courts of Justice for tipping the staff, where, I understand, there is no difficulty about tipping?

Mr. A. V. Alexander

May I ask the Minister of Labour, arising out of this position, whether he will not invite the Kitchen Committee of the House to meet him along with the employers he is to meet with regard to a minimum wage in the distributive trades?

Sir J. Ganzoni

I would point out, in reply to the hon. Member who put the original question, that there is no analogy between the position at the Law Courts and here. The committee has made inquiries, but there the system is entirely different. They place a box in every room of which considerable use is made. The supplementary question of the right hon. Gentleman opposite was not addressed to me.

Mr. Paling

In view of the large number of years during which these complaints have been made and that all Members of the House thoroughly dislike the system, is it not within the capacity of the Kitchen Committee to evolve some solution?

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