§ MR. BOWEN ROWLANDS (Cardiganshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with regard to his refusal to sanction the appointment by the Joint Standing Committee of the Cardiganshire County Council of the late Mr. David Evans, of Aberystwith, an officer of long standing and tried experience in the police force, and a man highly respected and of unimpeachable conduct, to the office of chief constable of that county, for the sole reason that Mr. Evans was a sergeant in the same force, whether the freedom of selection by standing committees in making such appointments is to be limited by the refusal of the Home 232 Office to promote officers or sergeants in the same force?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS, Birmingham, E.)The Statute requires the appointment to be subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. Each case has to be decided by him on its merits, with a view to discipline and efficiency in the force, and upon consideration of the reports received from the inspector of constabulary as to the qualifications of the particular candidate and the circumstances of the particular case. I followed this course in the case of Mr. Evans. It must be a very exceptional case in which it could be expected that the duties of chief constable in a county police force should be adequately discharged by a person promoted directly to that office from the rank of sergeant in the force.
§ MR. B. ROWLANDSWill the right hon. Gentleman say what the merits of the case were which influenced his decision other than that of promoting a sergeant in the force to the position of chief constable. Did the right hon. Gentleman in his letter to the County Council assign any other reason?
§ MR. MATTHEWSIn my note to the County Council I stated that Mr. Evans was a person entitled to the greatest respect. I do not wish to say anything now that might be painful to that gentleman's friends. I only assigned one reason, and I thought it a sufficient one.
§ MR. B. ROWLANDSMay I ask if there was anything in connexion with Mr. Evans which the right hon. Gentleman did not state?
§ MR. MATTHEWSI acted to the best of my judgment, and I decline to make it a personal question.