§ MR. HANBURYIn the absence the hon. Member for the Kingston Division of Surrey, I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, having regard to the Treasury Minute of the 24th March, 1891, which relates to the administration of the Customs Outdoor Department, under clause headed "Departmental Examination," he will state what consideration age and position have received in determining the form of the examination; and having regard to the fact that 40 years is the limit of service, whether he can supply the House with the number of officers who have passed such examinations since the issue of the above-mentioned Minute, arranged so as to indicate those who had less than 15 years of service and those who had 15 or more years of service at the date of the examination?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTThe examinations referred to in the question are those for promotion from the second to the first class of examining officers. Two such examinations have been held, and, of the first class places offered, two-thirds at the first examination and three-fourths at the second were offered to the senior candidates who reached a certain qualifying standard, and the remainder 1475 to officers who obtained the highest marks in the examination. Of 101 second class examining officers promoted on the results of the two examinations 57 had more, and 44 less, than 15 years' service.