§ MR. WHEELHOUSEasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the third section of the recent Order in Council applicable to the Civil Service, wherein it is stated that such situations in that service as are not suitable to be filled by members of the lower division are excluded from that Order, and shall, until Her Majesty's pleasure shall be further declared, be regulated, as now, by the heads of Departments to which they belong, Whether it be the intention of Her Majesty's Government forthwith to deal with the other recommendations of the "Play-fair Commission" as regards the higher division, which so materially concerns the interests of the present members of the Civil Service?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER,in reply, said, it was not the 485 intention of Her Majesty's Government at present to issue any further Orders in Council with regard to the Civil Service. He would point out to his hon. Friend that the "Playfair Commission" to which he referred proposed a system applicable to the whole of the Service; but the Commissioners pointed out that the gist of their recommendations was the substitution of a large number of clerks of the lower division for the clerks of the higher division. They said that unless that could be accomplished they could not consider themselves justified, on account of the increased expenditure "which would be entailed on the Government, in submitting their plans. Of course, it was impossible to adapt their plans by a stroke to the whole of the Service; and all that could be done at present was that which the Treasury had done—that was, to prepare a constitution of the lower division, and look to the gradual increase of the lower division which would take the place of a certain number of those who were unnecessarily employed in the higher division. At the same time this was a matter which would be dealt with in the several Departments; and if any Department made proposals for bringing the scheme into operation in that Department, and accompanied such proposals with a plan for re-organization, and, of course, reduction of the higher staff, the Treasury would be prepared to co-operate with the Department in such re-organization.