§ MR. DARLING (Deptford)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is the intention of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, in considering the question of the pay and prospects of Civil Service writers and copyists, to include the case of the established class called "Admiralty Writers," now serving in the Royal Victoria Yard at Deptford, who, having satisfied every condition as to age, length of service, and examination, laid down as necessary qualifications for promotion under the provisions of the Order in Council of the 12th February, 1876, were specially recommended in that year, by the head of the Department in which they were then and are still serving, for promotion to clerkships of the second division, and whose claims have since then been repeatedly advocated by the superintendents of the yard, pointing out that "they are practically debarred from promotion, and are constantly seeing men who entered the Service long after they did pass over their heads without any fault of their own?"
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONA certain number of the class of Admiralty writers have already been promoted to be second division clerks in the Admiralty establishments in London. As regards the remainder, their promotion must, as in the case of those already promoted, be regulated by their qualifications and abilities, and by the exigencies of the Service.