§ Mr. KELLYasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the reasons actuating his department in refusing an increase of pay of those employés of the Ministry of Labour receiving 43s. 11d. per week; how many of these men there are; and what is the average length of their service?
§ Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCEI assume that my hon. Friend refers to recent negotiations in connection with a claim for an improvement of the scales of pay of temporary male clerks employed in the Ministry of Labour and other Government Departments. It has been agreed to submit this claim to arbitration, and I am, therefore, not in a position to give the information requested in the first part of the question. I may say, however, that the rate there quoted is lower than the minimum of any of the scales of pay of temporary male clerks employed by the Ministry of Labour.