§ Mr. MACQUISTENasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Whitley Council of the Civil Service is composed of 54 members; whether only two of these are members of the temporary staff, who are in number equal to one-third of the total Civil Service and should have 18 representatives on the Whitley Council; and whether the discrepancies in the treatment of the members of the temporary staff in having their salaries reduced concurrently with the salaries of the permanent officials being increased and war bonuses granted to them are largely due to the abnormal preponderance of the permanent staff on the civil servants' Whitley Council?
Lieut.-Commander YOUNGThe Whitley Council of the Civil Service consists of 54 members, of whom 27 are nominated by the staff associations and 27 by the Government. The allocation of the seats on the staff side is a matter for arrangement between the staff associations concerned, but I understand that regard is paid primarily to obtaining the representations of the various grades in the Civil Service rather than to numbers. While it is true that only two seats are allocated to representatives of the associations of which the membership is limited exclusively to temporary and un-established employçs, I am informed that other associations who have representation on the staff side of the Council include amongst their members a considerable number of such employçs. It is not a fact that the salaries approved for the various grades of temporary staff have been reduced.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, concurrently with war bonuses and increases of salary qualifying for pension being granted to permanent civil servants in the establishment Department of the Disposal Liquidation Commission, who are mainly non-service men, and some of whom are already in receipt of pensions 1725W from the Civil Service, and one of a railway pension, reductions are being made upon the pay and salaries of the temporary staff who receive no pensions and no bonuses, and who are all ex-service men; and will he take steps to have this process reversed, and the bonuses and increases applied to mitigate the reductions of the ex-service men?
Lieut.-Commander YOUNGThe emoluments of all officers of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission are kept constantly under review. No distinction is made in this respect between civil servants and temporary officers, the emoluments of individual members of both classes being determined according to the circumstances of the particular case with due regard to any changes in responsibilities or duties. Each case is dealt with on its merits, and I am unable to accept the implication underlying the hon. Member's question that the civil servants are more favourably treated than temporary officers. The only reduction in salaries of temporary officials are in cases where either the responsibilities appertaining to the particular posts have diminished or where temporary officials on the completion of the work on which they had hitherto been employed have accepted posts carrying lower salaries, formerly held by non-service men and women.