§ Sir OWEN THOMASasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the name of the official in receipt of £5,000 a year salary who represents the Treasury in the Ministry of Transport; what his duties are; in which country he carried on his profession immediately before the War; and whether his salary is equal to that of the Minister of Transport, and, if so, why?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe officer in question is Sir Hardman Lever, Bart., K.C.B. His duties are to supervise on behalf of the Treasury the finance of the Ministry of Transport. He is responsible for investigating and for advising the Treasury in regard to the general financial position of transport undertakings, wagon owning companies, etc., and for formulating proposals as to the financial side of transactions which the Ministry wishes to carry out. Sir Hardman Lever before the War practised as a chartered accountant both in this country and the United States, and he resided principally in the United States. The salary of his appointment is £5,000 a year for three years, and carries no pension rights. In December, 1916, he was appointed Joint Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In this capacity he proceeded in January, 1917, to America, and rendered invaluable service both during and after the War. On the formation of the Ministry of Transport, His Majesty's Government 1479W felt it necessary, in view of the exceptional nature of the financial responsibilities attaching to the work of this office, to make special arrangements to secure adequate knowledge and control by the Treasury, and in deference to their pressing representations Sir Hardman Lever accepted the post of Treasury Representative in the Ministry. I may add that in so doing Sir Hardman Lever sacrificed his personal inclinations and interests to the public service. I am satisfied that we could not have made a better choice and that the appointment has fully justified itself. I gather that this view is shared by the Select Committee on National Expenditure which recently reported on the Ministry's work and Estimates.
§ Sir O. THOMASasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the name of the official in receipt of £1,200 a year salary who is assistant to the Treasury representative in the Ministry of Transport; what are his duties; in which country was he living prior to the War; and whether he receives a war bonus in addition to his salary?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe official in question is Mr. J. S. Williams, who is by profession a chartered accountant. His duties are to render expert assistance to the Treasury representative. Mr. Williams practised in Liverpool and London until December, 1911, when he joined a firm of chartered accountants in America. In 1917 he joined the Ministry of Munitions. He receives no war bonus.
§ Sir O. THOMASasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the Government Departments have a Treasury representative similar to the Ministry of Transport; what are the salaries paid to those at the War Office and the Admiralty, where the expenditure of each Department is considerably greater than the Ministry of Transport; and why are their salaries charged to the Departments and not to the Treasury, as is the case with the Ministry of Transport?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Treasury representative in the Ministry of Transport is an officer of the Treasury solely and directly responsible to the Treasury. For this reason he is paid from the Treasury Vote. There is no official who occupies a similar position in any other Department.