§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the action of the Civil Service Commissioners in connection with the recent appointment of Mr. Andrews to the position of assistant in the South Kensington Museum (Art Branch), and their refusal to appoint Mr. Donovan, a duly qualified candidate, to that position; whether he is aware that an examination was held to fill two vacancies in June, 1898; that at this examination three candidates qualified; and that another vacancy occurred shortly after the examination, to which the third qualified candidate (Mr. Donovan) applied to be appointed; whether it has been hitherto the rule that an examination is held not merely with a view to existing vacancies, but also with a view to vacancies arising within six months of the examination; and why Mr. Donovan was not appointed to the vacancy according to that practice; whether Mr. Andrews was a candidate at the same examination, and also at a previous one, and was unsuccessful at both; and whether the Civil Service Commissioners subsequently gave Mr. Andrews a certificate without any examination, and appointed him to the position which they 1483 refused to Mr. Donovan, though the latter had got the third place at the examination in June, 1898.
§ MR. HANBURYOpen competitions for situations in the Civil Service have reference either to existing vacancies or to the number of vacancies estimated to occur within any period not exceeding six months after the commencement of the examination or to both. The open competition held in June, 1898, had reference, as was stated in the notice announcing it, to the number of assistantships vacant at the time, viz., two. The candidates who obtained the first two places were appointed and no other candidate had any claim to any appointment. In this competition Mr. Andrews and Mr. Donovan were both unsuccessful. Mr. Donovan was third and qualified, but his marks were considerably below those of the first two candidates. Accordingly when another vacancy occurred it was decided to offer it for competition, and notice was given that an examination would be held in December, 1898. Mr. Andrews entered and Mr. Donovan did not. As the only other candidate besides Mr. Andrews withdrew, and as he had qualified at two previous examinations, the vacant Assistantship was given to him. To have re-examined him under such circumstances would clearly have been superfluous.