§ MR. HOOPER (Cork, S. E.)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether, out of about 200 Civil Service Writers recommended for promotion to the Lower Division by the various Heads of Departments, in accordance with the terms of the Treasury Minute of December, 1886, 58 of whom were promoted, no inquiry by the Departmental Committee appointed to examine into the work, &c. of such writers was made in the case of any writer whose age happened to be under 25, on the ground that they were still eligible for the open competitive examination under certain conditions, though in every other respect some of them have identical claims with those promoted; and, whether, as the number of writers thus affected is not large, and no restriction of the kind is contained in the Treasury Minute referred to, besides the large number of competitors in the open competition, which makes it impossible for more than one out of every 11 to succeed, the question of waiving the point will be favourably considered, with a view to having any such writer, whose case otherwise bears the necessary investigation, promoted?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. JACKSON) (Leeds, N.)As the hon. Member is, no doubt, aware, entrance to the Lower Division of the Civil Service is by competitive examination; and if the standard of quality of the Lower Division is to be maintained, that condition must be observed. The limits of age in the competition for the Lower Division are 17 to 20; but copyists on the Civil Service Commission's Register are allowed a further period of five years, which is obviously a great advantage. The Committee which dealt with the case of the copyists deemed themselves precluded from inquiring into the work of any copyist who is still within the age at which he can compete.