§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the Postmaster-General whether any officer from the National Telephone Company, upon transfer to the General Post Office, will be drafted into the grade of assistant clerks, in view of the fact that assistant clerks are servants of the Treasury; if so, whether the seniority of such clerks will date from the issue to them of Civil Service certificates as assistant clerks; and whether the position and prospects of assistant clerks at present employed in the engineering departments of the General Post Office will be adversely affected by such procedure?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELIf the hon. Member will be so good as to consult the Memorandum circulated in connection with Part II. of the Telephone Transfer Bill, he will observe that "transferred officers will as far as possible be placed in the same classes as Post Office servants doing1634W similar work." Assistant clerks serving in the Post Office are Post Office servants, and transferred officers doing similar work will therefore be placed on the class of assistant clerks. It is also stated in the Memorandum that "service with the company will be regarded as of the same value as service on corresponding duties in the Post Office for the purpose of seniority, annual leave, and sick pay." It will be my earnest endeavour so to arrange the staff questions arising out of the telephone transfer as to cause the minimum of hardship to all concerned; but it is impossible for me to give an undertaking as to the prospects of individuals.