§ MR. HANBURY (Preston)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury how many Second Division Clerks have been promoted to the First Division since the issue of the late Order in Council; how many vacancies have arisen in the First Division; how many have been filled by means of the usual examination for First Division appointments and by promotion of the Second Division respectively: and how many have not been filled up?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT, Oldham)By the First Division I understand appointments normally filled by open competition under the scheme known as Class I. Since the 21st of March, 1890, the date of the Order in Council, 19 vacancies" in such appointments have been filled by open competition, and three by the promotion of Second Division clerks, while 66 other places superior to the Second Division not now classed as Class I. (more than half of which were formerly so classed) have been filled by the appointment of Second Division clerks. I am unable to answer paragraphs 2 and 4 completely, but I have obtained figures from six of the largest Departments employing First Division clerks—the War Office, Admiralty, Post Office, Inland Revenue, Customs, and Local Government Board. In these Departments 112 vacancies have happened altogether since the 21st of March, 1890, and 97 of these have been left unfilled, showing that the policy of the Royal Commission has been effectually carried out in respect of the reduction of the Upper Division.