§ COLONEL DUNCAN (Finsbury, Holborn)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether, to encourage recruiting and to reward faithful service, a proportion of suitable minor appointments in the various Governments Departments can be allotted to reserve and discharged soldiers; and, if so, what that proportion will be?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)The question of the employment of reserve and discharged soldiers in the Civil Service is one that has been frequently under the consideration of the Government, who, as their Predecessors have done, admit the desirability of such employment being found, when practicable, for both soldiers and sailors. Whenever it is possible, the Rules for entry into the Civil Service have been relaxed, so far as regards the age limit, in favour of soldiers and sailors; but I think the House will agree with me that while such relaxation should be granted in regard to age, no such indulgence should be given with respect to other qualifications. The qualifications required for the minor posts alluded to by my hon. and gallant Friend are not of a high order, and are only those absolutely necessary for the efficient discharge of the duties attached to the situations. Constant progress has been made in the direction of the more frequent employment of these men; and I think Members of this House would recognize such progress if they looked at the Rules governing entry into the Civil Service and noted the number of posts which, by relaxation of the age 1850 limit, have been thrown open to soldiers and sailors.
§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCK-ALLAN (Durham, S.E.)asked the Secretary of State for War, If he can inform the House what progress, if any, has been made in the Public Departments towards carrying out the recommendations of the Select Committee which sat in 1876 and 1877, on the Civil Employment of Meritorious Discharged and Reserve Soldiers; and, whether, in view of the desirability of further popularizing recruiting for the Army, he can hold out hopes that the question will be further practically developed this year?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. E. STANHOPE) (Lincolnshire, Horncastle), in reply, said, they had not made so much progress as they had hoped for in carrying out the recommendations of the Select Committee. He had lately circulated a letter addressed to himself by the Duke of Cambridge, strongly urging on the Government the necessity of giving effect to those recommendations.