§ Mr. D. GRENFELLasked the First Commissioner of Works if he is aware that in order to adjust the wages of the workmen at Brompton Cemetery on an agreed basis an inquiry was recently made into the wages paid to workmen in municipal and private cemeteries; and, seeing that the wages paid to gravediggers employed by 13 municipal authorities and 10 private cemetery companies are on the average 11s. 6d. per week higher, and in the lowest case 6s. 6d. higher, than those paid to gravediggers at Brompton, whether he will review the wages at Brompton to bring them up to a scale adopted for comparable work elsewhere?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Brompton Cemetery, however, is a part of the Royal Parks establishment of the department, and the 2253W gravediggers are a portion only of the cemetery industrial staff. Comparison with municipal and private cemetery wages is, therefore, only one of the factors relevant to the wages question, and owing to a decrease in municipal wages and an increase in Brompton gravediggers' wages since the date of the inquiry mentioned, the differences are now less than those quoted by the hon. Member. From the beginning of last month the wages of the Brompton Cemetery staff were fixed in relation to those awarded to the staff in the Royal Parks by the Industrial Court in June, 193], and they are subject to review every six months in accordance with the Civil Service cost-of-living bonus. In these circumstances, I do not consider any other review is necessary.