The officers attached to prisons at the time of the commencement of this Act (in this Act referred to as existing officers of a prison) shall hold their offices by the same tenure, and upon like terms and conditions, as if this Act had not passed, and shall receive salaries of not less amount than those which they have hitherto received.
Such existing officers as aforesaid may be distributed amongst the several prisons to which this Act applies in such manner as may be directed by the Secretary of State, and they shall perform such duties as they may be required to perform by the said Secretary of State, so that such duties are the same or analogous to those they performed previously to the commencement of this Act, and, subject as aforesaid, they shall perform the same duties as nearly as may be as they are performing at the time of the commencement of this Act.
An existing officer of a prison who is at the commencement of this Act in the receipt of military or naval half-pay, or who has, at or before such commencement as aforesaid, commuted his pension in pursuance of the [34 & 35 Vict. c. 36.] Pensions Commutation Act, 1871, or is in receipt of any pension payable out of public moneys, shall not be subject to any deduction from his salary, or to be deprived of any portion of his half-pay or of his pension, by reason of his salary being thenceforward paid out of public moneys, or of his employment becoming a public employment or an employment of profit under Her Majesty within the meaning of the Acts of Parliament providing for such deduction of salary or deprivation of half-pay, nor be disqualified from receiving such half-pay or pension by reason of his becoming by virtue of this Act a civil servant of Her Majesty.