§ Mr. HINDLEasked the Postmaster-General if his Department has issued, or is about to issue, a new scale of pay and hours for night telephone operators, under which they will be required to be on duty for 80Û hours per week and receive there-for the sum of 26s. 3d. a week; and, if not, will he state the scale of pay and hours now in force; and whether any alteration is proposed?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSFull-time night telephonists give an attendance of 45 hours weekly, and the pay rises from 35s. a week to 72s. id. in London and 66s. 8d. in the provinces. No alteration is proposed. There are a number of cases, however, where the number of calls is few and attention is required only intermittently. In such cases sleeping accommodation is provided, and an allowance is paid to the person performing the work. This arrangement is of long standing. The amount of the allowance varies according to the circumstances of each case, being based usually on the number of hours for which the person is responsible and the average number of actual disturbances.