Major BARKERasked the Minister of Labour if he will state how many temporary servants are now employed by him who have not served in His Majesty's forces; those who have served in His Majesty's forces, but not overseas; those who have served in His Majesty's forces overseas; those who have served in His Majesty's forces overseas and who are in receipt of a disability pension; those who have private incomes in excess of the salary earned under the Ministry; how many servants who have served overseas have been discharged during the last three months; and how many who have served overseas and are in receipt of a disability pension have been discharged during the last three months?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe information given below represents, in each case, the position as at 1st May, 1922: the figures exclude industrial staff and also certain Branch Employment Exchange officers who are paid by fee.
1. The number of temporary servants at present employed in the Ministry of Labour who have not served in His Majesty forces is 3,735, made up as follows:
Of the 40 full-time men, eight will cease duty during the next two months. The cases of the remainder are reviewed by me personally from time to time.
Full-time: Men 40 Women 2,788 Part-time: Men 51 Women 856 3,735 The women are engaged on women's work, and the part-time staff are almost exclusively office cleaners.
2. The number of temporary servants (disabled and non-disabled) who have served in His Majesty's forces, but not overseas, is 1,686:
569W
Full-time: Men 1,614 Women 58 Part-time: Men 14 Women — 1,686 3. 8,011 temporary servants served overseas in His Majesty's Forces as under:—
Full-time: Men 7,932 Women 39 Part-time: Men 40 Women — 8,011 4. The number of temporary servants who have served overseas and are "disabled" is 3,035:—
Full-time: Men 3,014 Women. — Part-time: Men. 21 Women. — 3,035 5. So far as the information at my disposal shows, no women are in receipt of private incomes in excess of their official salaries. As regards the men, five full-time officers and two part-time officers are known to have private means in excess of their salaries. Throughout the inquiries conducted into the question of "private means," disability pensions have been ignored in assessing incomes. Steps have been taken to terminate the services of four of these officers as from varying dates.
570W6. 1,079 temporary officers who have served overseas have been discharged during last three months:—
Full-time: Men 1,072 Women 5 Part-time: Men 2 Women — 1,079 Of these, 945 were "casual" clerks, engaged on a week-to-week basis to enable the Department to cope with the great pressure of work resulting from the heavy percentage of unemployment.
7. The number of disabled overseas men discharged during the same period was 245 (all full-time). Of these, 196 were "casual" clerks.
8. I may add that it is the practice in the Ministry of Labour, when making reductions of the temporary staff, to give preference in the matter of retention to ex-service men and, amongst them, to retain disabled men rather than non-disabled, and men with overseas service rather than those who served at home only, subject always to the primary consideration of efficiency. Further, the recommendations of the Lytton Committee have been carried out in this Ministry in every respect.