§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY (LORD BRUNTISFIELD)My Lords, this is a short Bill which is concerned with the removal of certain administrative difficulties at Greenwich Hospital, some of which have only recently come to light. In these days, when our minds are occupied with far more vital and important matters, a Bill of this kind may not appear to have much importance attached to it, but unless the difficulties are removed or remedied hardships will fall upon certain servants of the State who deserve well of their country. Upon this ground I commend the Bill to your Lordships. In recent years Acts of Parliament have been passed giving members of the Civil Service certain rights and privileges with regard to their pensions, and it is chiefly in this respect that we are concerned under the Act of 1865, which charged the Admiralty with the duty of acting as trustees for His Majesty for Greenwich Hospital. We have certain powers, but the language of these Acts, we are advised by the Law Officers, precludes us from extending to our servants at Greenwich the same advantages, rights and privileges as are enjoyed by civil servants employed in similar capacities in other Government Departments. It is in order to remedy this, and to assimilate conditions of our servants in Greenwich Hospital to those which exist in other Government Departments that this Bill is required. I hope that, with that short explanation, your Lordships will see fit to give this Bill a Second Reading.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2ª.—(Lord Bruntisfield.)
910§ On Question, Bill read 2ª, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.