§ Mr. FIELDasked the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he can state the number of surveyors employed in the Ordnance Survey (Ireland) who have not received an advance of pay for five years and upwards; if he would cause inquiry to be made in cases where the advance has been for a long period deferred; and whether he will consider the expediency of promulgating a scale of pay with annual increments between minimum and maximum of such scale of pay?
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§ Sir EDWARD STRACHEYOnly one of the surveyors in Ireland has not received an increase of pay during the last five years, the reason being that he is a somewhat inferior workman. The Board have at various times considered the suggestion made in the latter part of the question, but they do not see their way to adopt it.
The same HON. MEMBER further asked whether it is intended to allow those employed in the Ordnance Survey in Ireland to perform private work in connection with their trade or calling to the detriment of the members of the Institute of Civil Engineers and other institutions; and whether it can be stated whether the full income from salaries, private work, and otherwise of those public servants engaged in this traffic has been notified to the proper authorities, with a view to the collection of Income Tax from the parties concerned?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYNo person employed on the Ordnance Survey is allowed to undertake outside work of any description which is incompatible with the devotion of his whole official time to the public service, or which may conflict with his official duties. There is no intention of modifying this rule in any way. The Board have no knowledge of the returns made for Income Tax purposes by any member of the Survey staff.