§ Mr. T. GRIFFITHSasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Mr. E. E. Webb, a permanent servant in the Ordnance Survey at Southampton; 997W whether he is aware that, although this man had 38 years' service to his credit, he was recently given notice of his discharge; that the mental worry thus caused resulted in the man committing suicide; and whether he will make inquiry into this case and explain why it was found necessary to discharge a man with so many years' service?
Sir A. BOSCAWENI am fully aware of this sad case, the particulars of which are as follows: The Committee on National Expenditure recommended a considerable reduction in the staff of the Ordnance Survey, but I was able by economies in other directions to secure the saving required without discharges on the scale proposed by the Committee. It was necessary, however, to make a small reduction in staff, and those officers who were the least efficient were selected for retirement on pension. Mr. Webb was one of these, and his lack of efficiency may have been due to ill-health, from which he had been suffering for some time. I greatly regret the occurrence.