§ Captain Kerbyasked the Postmaster-General what special educational and law examinations Post Office civil servants are required to take before appointment to his Investigation Branch; and what Home Office and other courses they are required to attend.
§ Mr. BevinsNone. Staff appointed to the Investigation Branch are established Civil Servants specially selected for their personal qualities and Post Office experience, and they are trained within the Branch.
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§ Captain Kerbyasked the Postmaster-General if he will appoint a business efficiency organisation-and-methods consultant to inquire into and report upon the workings of his Investigation Branch, including its Metropolitan Police section, with especial reference to his proposed arrangements for the reorganisation of the branch.
§ Mr. BevinsNo. The proposed reorganisation of the Investigation Branch has been agreed in principle with the Home Office and Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis; and other important aspects of the Branch's procedure and relations with police forces are being reviewed in consultation with those authorities.
§ Captain Kerbyasked the Postmaster-General what are the respective salary scales for all grades of civil employees and ranks of Metropolitan police officers serving in his Investigation Branch.
§ Mr. BevinsThe salary scales of Civil Service grades employed in my Investigation Branch are:
Post-Office Departmental Grades £ per annum (except where stated) Controller 3475 Deputy Controller 2618–3050 Assistant Controller 2172–2507 Senior Investigation Officer 1615–2061 Investigation Officer 936–1532 Head Assistant 913–954 Assistant 562–792 General Civil-Service Grades Executive Officer 490–1236 Clerical Officer 315–879 Clerical Assistant £4 10s. 0.-£12 12s. 6d. per week These scales are subject to the addition of the standard Civil Service London weighting, amounting to between £30 and £65 per annum in Inner London, according to salary.
The scales of pay of Metropolitan Police Officers are not a matter for me, but I understand that the current scales for the ranks seconded to my Investigation Branch (exclusive of allowances) are:
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£ per annum Superintendent Grade I 2,025–2,140* Chief Inspector 1,455–1,550* Inspector 1,325–1,410* Station Sergeant 1,215–1,255† Sergeant 1,090–1,170† Constable 635–l,030† * No London allowance payable. † London allowance of £20 per annum payable in addition.
§ Captain Kerbyasked the Postmaster-General what is the number of Post Office Savings Bank docket cases, and of other docket cases, which passed through his Investigation Branch in 1963; how many of these were dealt with by his civilian Post Office employees and by the police section of the Investigation Branch, respectively; and how many convictions were obtained.
§ Mr. BevinsThe number of docket cases for the financial year 1962–63 were: Savings Bank 7,063, Other 4,037. There is no close relationship between the number of dockets and number of offenders. Most of the inquiry work is shared by civilian staff, seconded police and local police but it is not possible to say what proportion is done by each. There were approximately 3,300 convictions.
§ Captain Kerbyasked the Postmaster-General if he will in future publish the Annual Report of the Controller of his Investigation Branch.
§ Mr. BevinsNo. The Report is a confidential one for internal use only.