§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether he mill state the circumstances under which an increase of £150 a year was granted to the head of the Establishment Department since the Armistice an amount six times in excess of the annual increment of £25 he is entitled to in his permanent grade of £375 as a Civil Service clerk in the Board of Education, and what the maximum pay of the appointment is that this official is now said to be holding?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYFor the answer to the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on the 15th December to the hon. and gallant Member for Bournemouth; the answer to the last part of the question is that., in accordance with the usual Treasury practice, no maximum rate has been fixed for the position, owing to the fact that it is of a temporary character only.
§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether 'he will state the respective salaries the four accountants, one engineer, and one metal expert were receiving in the Ministry on leaving the service, together with the daily allowances they are now receiving on being reemployed by the Ministry; whether, in the case of those who are lent by firms to whom the daily fees of from four to ten guineas a day are paid, these firms have one or more of their partners working in the Ministry; and, if so, whether it is in accordance with the fitness of things that these firms should be allowed to employ officials leaving the Ministry, and make a profit by lending them to the Ministry on such high rates of daily allowances?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYOf the four accountants in question one, at the time he left the Ministry, was receiving a salary of £450, one of £235 per annum, and two of £1,000 per annum each. The allowances paid for the occasional services of these officers are six guineas, four guineas, five guineas, and ten guineas a day, respectively. The engineer, who oil his resignation was receiving pay at the rate of £2,500 per annum, was given ten436W guineas a day for three weeks' special service and the metal expert, who worked in the Ministry on a voluntary basis during the War is paid four guineas a day for occasional service. The firms have charged the Ministry the commercial rates ordinarily paid for such professional services. In one instance—that of the accountant—whose daily rate is ten guineas, I am informed that whilst he is employed in the Ministry the firm are precluded from employing the officer else where at a considerably higher rate. One of the hrms lending the services of an accountant has a partner who, during the War and up to the present time, has given gratuitous service both to the War Office and to the Ministry. The Ministry are indebted to the firm who have so generously placed the services of both these gentlemen at their disposal.
§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether a. voluntary worker, named Gill, in the Central Stores Department was given a salary of £800 a year since the Armistice; and, if not since the Armistice, from what date it Was given and under what circumstances?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYThe official referred to, who, since January, 1916, has served in the Ministry on a voluntary basis, was appointed on 12th June, 1917, to be Deputy Controller in the Department responsible-for the administration of the Stores and Inspection Bonds of the Ministry, receiving as from that date the salary of £800 per annum, sanctioned by the Treasury for the post. He was promoted to the office of Controller in April last, but left the service of the Ministry on 30th June to return to his commercial activities, where he is paid a salary greatly in excess of the one he received in the Government service.
Mr. HOOGEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether a clerk named Wishart, in the office of the Controller of Munitions Timber Supply, was paid a salary of 31s. 6d. a week paid weekly, and had his salary raised to £500 a year since the Armistice; if not, front what date it was raised; and whether with retrospective effect?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYThe official referred to, who had been rejected for military service, is a barrister by profession, accepted a post in the Ministery in 1916 at the salary of 31s. 6d. a week ordinarily 437W paid to clerical assistants. He proved himself to be a man of exceptional capacity, and was given rapid promotion. In view of the increasing responsibilities of the work he undertook, his salary was increased by stages to £300 per annum, from which it was advanced with Treasury sanction to £500. This latter advance was made on 26th October, 1918, on his appointment to be Assistant Controller of Timber Supplies, and was not retrospective.