Order in Council of 19 March, 1872

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The Order in Council of 19 March, 1872 was a piece of British legislation that revised and rescinded major changes to the Board of Admiralty made by the Order in Council of 14 January, 1869.

Order in Council

WHEREAS by Your Majesty's Order in Council of the 14th day of January, 1869, certain changes were effected in the constitution of the Board of Admiralty, the position occupied by the Comptroller of the Navy in regard to the Board, and the general transaction of business at the Admiralty Offices; and whereas it has become desirable to effect certain changes in the said Order; We most humbly beg leave to propose to Your Majesty that the said Order should be rescinded, and that

I. The Board should, in future, be constituted as follows:—

The First Lord of the Admiralty.
The First Naval Lord.
The Second Naval Lord.
The Junior Naval Lord.
The Civil Lord.

II. That there should be three Secretaries, to be called

The Parliamentary Secretary.
The Permanent Secretary.
The Naval Secretary.

III. That the office of Comptroller of the Navy be re-established, as au office to be held for a fixed period by an Officer not a member of the Board, and that the Comptroller be assisted by a permanent Officer to be called Deputy-Comptroller and Director of Dockyards, whose duties shall be mainly concentrated on the management of the Dockyards.

IV. The First Lord to be responsible to Your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the business to be transacted in three principal divisions:—

(a.) The First Naval Lord, the Second Naval Lord, and the Junior Naval Lord, to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the administration of so much of the business relating to the Personnel of the Navy, and to the movement and condition of Your Majesty's Fleet, as shall be assigned to them or each of them, from time to time, by the First Lord.

(b.) The Comptroller to be responsible to the First Lord for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the Matériel of Your Majesty's Navy, the Comptroller to have the right to attend the Board, and to explain his views, whenever the First Lord shall submit to the Board, for their opinion, designs for ships or any other matters emanating from the Comptroller's Department.

(c.) The Parliamentary Secretary to be responsible to the First Lord for the Finance of the Department, and for so much of the other business of the Admiralty as may be assigned to him.

(d.) The Civil Lord, the Permanent Secretary, and the Naval Secretary, to have such duties as shall be assigned to them by the First Lord.

We humbly propose that the Second Naval Lord shall have a salary of 1,200l. a-year, and that the Naval Secretary shall have a salary of 1,500l. a-year, and a house, or an allowance of 200l. a-year in lieu of a house; and We beg leave most humbly to acquaint Your Majesty, that the Lords Commissioners of Your Majesty's Treasury have signified their concurrence in the financial part of these arrangements, and We further recommend that these arrangements shall begin to take effect on the 19th day of April, 1872.