§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the recently granted addition to the pay of the officers of the Indian Army whilst studying at the Staff College, and in view of the desirability of the standard of qualifications for appointments on the staff of the Indian Army being maintained at the same level as for similar appointments at home and in the Colonies, he is prepared to take steps to bring the Indian Army Regulations on this subject more into accord with the Queen's Regulations than they are at present?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingIt is true that the Government of India and the Commander-in-Chief have a wider discretion in selecting officers for staff employment than the authorities in this country, as the conditions of service in India are frequently in themselves a valuable test of an officer's efficiency; but I am confident that in the exercise of that discretion they give due weight to the possession of a Staff College certificate, and I am not prepared to initiate any change in the Indian regulations on this subject.