§ MR. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, is he aware that of eight female telegraph learners at Belfast who filled nomination papers in July, 1897, for appointments as telegraphists in that office and passed the Civil Service examination, only four were treated as appointed from that date, the remaining four not being so treated till May of the present year; is he aware that in the latter portion of April last one of these females was informed that the date of her appointment could not be stated, as the Civil Service Commissioners had still to decide it, although in common with the others she held the Civil Service certificate dated September, 1897; will he state the reason for this difference of treatment which deprived these four females of permanent employment and full pay for eight months and also of holidays for the present year; and will he cause their appointment to date from September, 1897, with the grant of full pay from that date and the usual leave for the present year?
§ MR. HANBURYThe eight learners at Belfast to whom the honourable Member refers were all examined in July of last year, not with a view to immediate appointment, but in order to clear the way for the system of open competition. Their dates of appointment depended on the subsequent occurrence of vacancies, and the appointments seem all to have been made in proper course as the vacancies occurred. In these circumstances, there is no reason for dating back the appointments to September last. The Postmaster General is not aware of the information said to have been given to one of the learners in April last.