§ 44. Mr. Cocksasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the keeping of pay accounts requires the full-time services of an officer or rating for every 160 of personnel borne, a practice which originated in less literate days; and whether he will cause an inquiry to be made with a view to releasing personnel experienced in administrative affairs from pay accounts for other naval duties?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (Sir Victor Warrender)The hon. Member's Question is based upon a 201 misapprehension regarding the system of keeping naval pay accounts. I am circulating a detailed statement on the subject in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The information is as follows:
§ Naval pay accounts being kept in duplicate, as a check on accuracy, two writer ratings are employed on each ledger section. In shore establishments, where there are frequent changes in personnel, a ledger section is allowed for every 450 accounts, while in seagoing ships which bear their own accounts a ledger section will contain up to 800 accounts. Thus, at the minimum one writer rating is employed on full time duties on 450 accounts, and at the maximum on 800. Accountant officers are, generally speaking, employed only on the supervision of accounts and on the actual disbursements of pay, but, as the hon. Member is no doubt aware, they have many other important duties to perform.
§ With regard to the hon. Member's suggestion that accountant staff should be released for other naval duties, such reliefs are being effected as far as possible in shore establishments by personnel of the W.R.N.S., thus releasing personnel of the accountant branch for service at sea and abroad, but in seagoing ships no such relief would be desirable, as these personnel have action billets and would have to be relieved, were this feasible, by other men who would have no knowledge of accountant duties, thus reducing efficiency without any saving in man-power.