§ Mr. EdeI beg to move, in page 2, line 8, to leave out from "and," to "and," in line 11, and to insert:
shall hold office by the same tenure and on the same conditions as immediately before that date, and, while performing similar duties shall, in respect thereof, receive not less salary or remuneration than the salary or remuneration to which they would have been entitled if they had not been transferred.This Amendment deals with the position of transferred officers and servants, other than policemen, who may leave the service of a non-county borough under the Bill, and enter the service of a county police authority. It was felt by some hon. Members of the Standing Committee that the present wording of the Clause might mean that if the county service had better conditions than the borough service, the officer transferred might be compelled to remain on the level on which he had been in the borough service. I cannot think that is a very likely interpretation, but I have in my time known legalistic clerks of councils who delighted 1171 in giving such interpretations to Acts of Parliament. In order that there may be no excuse for that, I have submitted this Amendment, which ensures that a man shall receive not less salary or remuneration, so that if he is in a borough where the conditions are better than in the county he will, if transferred, remain on the old level, whereas if conditions in the county are better he may be promoted to the higher level.
§ Mr. Grimston (Westbury)I should like to thank the right hon. Gentleman for this Amendment which, as he says, fulfils a pledge he gave upstairs. It certainly covers the point and we are very much obliged to him.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.