§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Why he does not carry out the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on Civil Service Expenditure of 1873, presided over by the Right Hon. H. C. E. Childers, to the effect that suitable vacancies in all branches of the Civil Service should be filled up by the transfer of redundant officials, and that whilst there are redundant clerks or officers in any department or departments there 1562 should be no new appointments to the public service; if he will state how many redundant clerks there are at present in the Customs eligible for and awaiting promotion to the Upper Division; how many, in accordance with the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee (supported by that of the Playfair Commission), have been transferred to fill vacancies in the Upper Division in other departments; and, how many new appointments, contrary to the recommendation referred to, have been made to the Upper Division and Class I. of the Civil Service since October 1st 1879?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)In reply to the hon. Gentleman's first Question, I must remind him that from a few weeks after the Report of the Committee of 1873 was presented to Parliament until last year I have had no official connection with this question. The following, however, are the facts:—The Committee did not recommend an absolute and unconditional course of action to be followed independently of circumstances, but a preferable course, to be followed when circumstances permitted of it. Their words are not precisely of the effect which the hon. Gentleman attributes to them. They recommend that the reduction of numbers which they believed to be practicable—
Should be effected rather by an entire cessation of appointments to the clerical service, and by transfers from one department to another, than by superannuating (on terms of abolition) the clerks who might be redundant in particular offices.Subject to this qualification, my answer to the hon. Gentleman's first Question is that I shall give effect to the recommendation of the Committee so far as lies in my power and circumstances permit. In reply to his second Question, there are 60 redundant officers in the Customs; but in this sense—that they have been made so by reductions in the upper ranks of the future Customs Service. As they are absorbed or retire, they will be replaced in a great degree by less expensive successors. In the meantime, they are performing duties which must in any case be performed. They are the remainder of 130 resulting from the great reorganization of the Customs effected between 1875 and 1880. No new appointments have been made 1563 to the clerical staff of the Customs since 1879. In reply to his third Question, no redundant clerk has been transferred from the Customs to the Upper Division and to Class I. in other Departments since 1st October, 1879. In reply to his fourth Question, out of 131 appointments 33 have been effected by transfer and 98 by open competition to the Upper Division in various Public Departments. I am not prepared to say, without looking into the facts as to each clerk, that any of these appointments are contrary to the recommendations of the Committee of 1873.