§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether officials in the Ministry of Munitions recently demobilised have been taken on again and given allowances instead of salary, as high as five guineas a day; and, if so, the number of such men and the circumstances under which such allowances are justifiable?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYIn order to deal with questions arising out of the work of liquidating the Ministry's contracts and closing the accounts it has been necessary since 1st September to re-employ on a part-time basis at a daily fee, four accountants, one engineer, and one expert in non-ferrous metals, the need for whose continuous whole-time service in the Ministry had terminated or who were no longer willing to give their whole time to the work. The fees paid are those usual for such professional services, they vary between four and ten guineas per day, and in three of the cases are paid to the firms who agreed to lend the services of the officers in question.
§ Mr. ROSEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions if he will state the grades and average salaries of the 3,155 officials removed from the staff of his Department during the month of September; and how many, if any, of them were transferred to other Government Departments?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYOf the 3,155 officials demobilised in September 1,435 were headquarters staff; of these 419 were higher administrative and technical officers, fifty-three being paid salaries over £500, ninety-seven salaries between £400 and £500, 269 salaries below £400 per annum, and 1,016 being members of the clerical, typing, messenger and cleaning grades paid in accordance with scales fixed by the Treasury and ranging from 27s. to 96s. per week. The remainder (1,720) of the total number demobilised consists of staff at stores, outstations, and factories in regard to whom information under the headings given above is not at present available. With the exception of five Civil servants who were returned to their permanent posts in the Departments from which their services had been borrowed, none of the 3,155 officials demobilised from the Ministry during the month of September were transferred to other Government Departments.