§ MR. H. C. F. LUTTRELL (Devon, Tavistock)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that there are still 32 prison clerks eligible by age for the post of fifth class governor who are senior to those 719 clerks who joined under special examination on payment of £3 fee, and as the posts are being given to their seniors, and as the average age of these clerks who joined at special examination is now about 40 years, there is little or no prospect of their receiving direct benefit in the customary course of promotion by the special selection of clerks under 45 years of age for the post of fifth class governor; whether the small benefit which might accrue indirectly by promotion of those senior to them will be detracted from by the non-continuance of allowances as acting storekeepers; and, whether he can see his way to reconsider their claims?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY,) Lancashire, BlackpoolI am aware that there are 32 clerks senior to those who paid the £3 fee, but the hon. Member is mistaken if, as I gather, he supposes that this latter class passed any special examination or have any special claims to promotion. They will, however, receive very considerable benefit from the creation of the new class of governor, as the appointments to that class will be made by selection, not by seniority; and the advantage generally which the scheme will confer by opening up a new path of advancement and increasing the chances of promotion more than compensates for the abolition of the allowance to an acting storekeeper. I am afraid I cannot promise to reconsider the question.