§ Colonel BURTONasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will review the policy of sanctioning expenditure required by the practice of a Permanent Secretary of the Office of Works proceeding overseas to visit buildings erected or furnished by His Majesty's Government; and will he consider whether it would be more economical and equally satisfactory to allow discretion to the technical officers of the Department to decide on the spot matters relating to the furnishing of such buildings which fall within the scope of their technical duties?
§ Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCEThis is a matter which is primarily in the decision of the First Commissioner of Works, and I am satisfied that the expenditure in question has been properly incurred.
§ Sir J. LAMBasked the First Commissioner of Works whether the matter was referred to the Treasury before a 72W junior clerical officers, female junior clerical officers, and higher grade clerical officers, employed in the general clerical class on 1st April, 1928, were is follow:
— Men. Women. Total. Junior Clerical Officers. 15,600 5,426 21,026 Higher Clerical Officers. 1,935 472 2,407 Information in the form desired is not available in respect of the other years referred to in the question. The numbers of men and women, respectively, promoted from the junior grade of the general clerical class to the higher grade of that class in each of the years 1921–1928 were as follow:
decision was arrived at to incur expenditure in despatching the permanent secretary to the Office of Works to America to superintend the standard of furnishing of the new embassy at Washington?
§ Mr. LANSBURYNo, Sir.