Service on Committees, &c.

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Service on Committees, &c.


At the Court at Windsor,
The 18th day of May 1870.

Present: The Queen's most Excellent Majesty in Council.

And Whereas there was this day read at the Board a Memorial from the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated the 10th of May 1870 in the words following, viz.:-

    Whereas by Your Majesty's Orders in Council of the 22nd February 1870, Your Majesty was pleased to sanction certain proposals for the retirement of the Executive and Civil Officers of Your Majesty's Fleet: Whereas we are of opinion it is desirable that further regulations be laid down on certain points connected with the Scheme of Retirement then sanctioned, we would humbly propose to Your Majesty

    1. As regards service of Officers on Committees or Commissions of Inquiry in connection with naval matters of importance, we are of opinion that, considering the value of such enquiries, it is but just to allow a certain portion of such service to count as full service as regards Pay, Half-pay, and Retirement, though not to reckon as service to save Officers from compulsory retirement on account of non-service ; we would therefore submit, that we be empowered to allow Officers to count a portion of the time so employed, namely, up to six months on Committees and Commissions, as full time ; afterwards as two-thirds of full time; but the maximum addition to what an Officer would have been allowed if all his Committee time had counted as Half-pay time, to be two years.
    2. As regards civil employment at or under the Admiralty, we would humbly submit that when an Officer is retired from the Active List on account of age, non-service, or otherwise and we deem it advisable to retain him in such civil employment, he should continue in receipt of his former emoluments as though he had remained on the Active List until he ceases to be in such civil employment, that his retired pay should then be calculated according to the total period of service he may have completed, reckoning his civil employment as service for this purpose.
    3. As regards promotion on the Lists of Navigating and Medical Officers, and in the ranks of Paymaster and Chief Engineer, we would submit to Your Majesty, that we be allowed to fill up not more than one in four vacancies which may be caused by Retirement or Promotion consequent on Retirement, until the Lists may be reduced to the numbers authorised by Your Majesty's above-named Orders in Council � and we would beg to point out that provision for making such promotion in the ranks of Captain, Commander, and Lieutenant, was contained in the Ordre of Council of 22nd of February 1870.
    4. As regards the promotion on Retirement of Staff Commanders and Paymasters, whereas it is laid down by Your Majesty's Order in Council of 26th June 1867, that Staff Commanders having served 20 years in the ranks of Navigating Lieutenant and Staff Commander shall receive when retired, the rank of Retired Captain, and that Officers having served 15 years in those ranks shall retire with the rank of Retired Commander ; and by Your Majesty's Order in Council of 9th July 1864 it is laid down that Paymasters who may have completed 20 years' service, including Acting Paymasters' time, and not more than 4 years' time as Assistant Paymaster, shall be retired with the rank of Paymaster-in-Chief : And whereas by Your Majesty's Order in Council of 22nd February 1870 it has been provided as to Commanders and Lieutenants placed on the Retired List that these Officers shall be granted the rank of Retired Captain and Retired Commander only at our discretion : We are of opinion that it will be for the benefit of Your Majesty's Service that similar conditions should be made applicable to the Promotion on Retirement of Staff Commanders and Paymasters, so that these Officers should no longer be entitled to claim the respective ranks of Retired Captain, Retired Commander, and Paymaster-in-Chief, when removed from the Active List, but that such promotion should, in addition to the above-mentioned requirements of service, be governed also by qualifications of good and meritorious service. We therefore humbly submit that in future such Promotions on Retirement be made at our discretion. We beg further to represent that, so far as financial arrangements are affected, the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have, signified their concurrence in the above-mentioned proposals.

Her Majesty having taken the said Memorial into o consideration was pleased by and with the advice of Her Privy Council, to approve of what is therein proposed ; and the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty are to give the necessary directions herein. accordingly.

(Signed) Arthur Helps

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