Order in Council of 14 January, 1869
The Order in Council of 14 January, 1869 was an important piece of legislation defining the structure of the Board of Admiralty. It was rescinded by the Order in Council of 19 March, 1872.
Order in Council
WHEREAS we have had under our consideration the present recognized constitution of the Board of Admiralty, the position occupied by the Controller of the Navy, in regard to the Board, and the general transaction of business at the Admiralty Offices.
The Board of Admiralty as hitherto constituted consisted of—
The First Lord, receiving four thousand five hundred a-year (4,500l.);
Four Naval Lords at a salary of one thousand (1,000l.) a-year each, with allowances and a house, or twelve hundred a-year without a house; and
The Civil Lord, who receives one thousand (1,000l.) a-year only.
The First or Parliamentary Secretary receives two thousand (2,000l.) a-year, with allowances and a house.
The Second or Permanent Secretary receives fifteen hundred (1,500l.) a-year, with allowances and a house.
The Secretaries have jointly charge of the Secretariat; and the First Secretary has important duties in Parliament in connexion with the Department.
We most humbly beg leave to propose to Your Majesty that, with a view of simplifying and facilitating the transaction of the business of the Department, and more effectually controlling Naval Expenditure, the office of Controller of Your Majesty's Navy should be merged into that of the Third Lord, the office of Fourth Naval Lord being dispensed with.
The Board will then be constituted as follows:—
- The First Lord of the Admiralty.
- The First Naval Lord.
- The Third Lord and Controller.
- The Junior Naval Lord, and
- The Civil Lord,
with the Parliamentary Secretary and the Permanent Secretary.
The First Lord being responsible to Your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the other Members of the Board should act as his Assistants in the transaction of the duties, which we propose should be divided into three principal branches.
(a.) The First Naval Lord to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the "Personnel" of the Navy, and for the movement and condition of Your Majesty's Fleet.
The Junior Naval Lord to assist the First Naval Lord in this division of the business.
(b.) The Controller of the Navy being, as we have proposed, the Third Lord, to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the "Matériel" of Your Majesty's Navy, i.e., to the Building and Repairing of Ships, to Guns and to Naval Stores.
(c.) The Parliamentary Secretary to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the "Finance" of the Department, and the Civil Lord to act as an Assistant to the Secretary.
The Permanent Secretary should have the exclusive charge of the Secretariat, under the directions of the First Lord of the Admiralty.
The merging of the Controllership of the Navy in the Office of the Third Lord, and the reduction of one of the Naval Lords, will effect a saving of two thousand five hundred pounds (2,500l.) a-year; but to mark the special responsibilities of the First Naval Lord and the Third Lord, we humbly propose that their Salaries should be increased by five hundred (500l.) a-year each, with official residences, the other allowances to the Members of the Board ceasing.
We are further of opinion that the Parliamentary Secretary should have the salary as hitherto apportioned to that appointment, but without a house or allowances.
And we beg leave most humbly to acquaint Your Majesty that the Lords of the Treasury have signified their concurrence in the financial part of these arrangements.
