§ Mr. CLUSEasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the Whitley Council was held at which the representatives of the staff side agreed to a reduction of hours and pay for temporary clerks in the Civil Service with a view to avoiding the discharge of ex-service men; and whether, seeing the effect of the reduction of hours by two per week means that a grade I clerk, receiving 87s. 10d., 1853W and a grade 2 clerk, receiving 80s. 10d. per week, have their wages diminished by less than 1s. per week, while a grade 3 clerk, whose wages range from 60s. 8d. to 67s. 3d. per week, loses 4s. 5d. per week, he will take such action as will ensure that the reduction in the wages of the grade 3 clerks shall not be more than the reduction in the wages of the clerks in grades 1 and 2?
Mr. GRAHAMAs stated in the answer given to the hon. Member for Rotherhithe (Mr. B. Smith) on the 9th April, the reduction in hours and pay of certain temporary clerks in the Civil Service is the outcome of representations made, not on the Whitley Council, but directly by the temporary staff organisations concerned. The apparent disparity to which the hon. Member refers is due to the fact that the rates of pay of grade 3 clerks on a 42-hour basis are exclusive of overtime pay, whereas the rates of pay of grade 3 clerks on a 44-hour basis, and of grade 1 and 2 clerks on either basis, are inclusive of overtime.