19. Lieut.-Commander Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for War how many service pensioners are on the waiting list for employment as barrack wardens.
§ The Secretary of State for War (Mr. Shinwell)Eight hundred and ninety-one.
20 and 21. Lieut.-Commander Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for War (1) why civilian temporary clerical employees, who have never served in the Forces, are being granted establishment in posts in barracks which were formerly reserved for service pensioners;
(2) why the post of fuel and light accountant barrack warden, formerly filled by service pensioners, has now been abolished and replaced by a somewhat similar post staffed by civilian clerical workers.
§ Mr. ShinwellI will, with permission, circulate the answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Sir Ronald RossWill the right hon. Gentleman undertake that he will not employ non-ex-Service men, citizens of a neighbouring Republic, in preference to British ex-Service men in these posts?
§ Mr. ShinwellWe will be reasonable in the matter.
§ Following is the answer:
§ War-time expansion of barrack offices produced more vacancies for fuel and light accountants than could be filled by available pensioners and as the work is clerical, temporary clerical civilians had to be engaged to fill the posts, which they did with complete satisfaction. Since the war the policy which has been followed by Departments has been to assimilate as many as possible of the miscellaneous grades employed, to one or other of the larger classes wherever the work undertaken was similar. The work of fuel and light accountants was very similar to that undertaken by the general clerical class of the Civil Service, and accordingly they were assimilated to the general clerical class, and the grade of fuel and light accountant was abolished.
§ Barrack offices are now therefore staffed by members of the general clerical class. Under the conditions for establishment in this class, which have been published from time to time, some temporary clerks are eligible for establishment, and no doubt some of those employed in barrack offices have been or will be established under these conditions.
§ I should make it clear that this refers only to the fuel and light accountants. As regards the posts of barrack store accountant and barrack inventory accountant, it was necessary during the war, owing to expansion and the shortage of ex-Regular soldiers, to accept some new entrants to these grades who did not possess the full service qualifications. Because of their services to the Department, these war-time entrants were given opportunities of competing for establishment when the first post-war scheme was worked out, but all new recruits will in future have to have had not less than twelve years' Colour service.