§ MR. FIRBANK (Hull, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, with regard to the regulation adopted by the Board Inland Revenue under clause 10 of the Order in Council of 15th August 1890, which came into face on the 31st March 1898, under which all officers who and attained the age of 63 years should be required to retire, provided they had completed 40 years' pensionable service and had attained the maximum of their class, and that on and after the 1st April 1899 the age for retirement should be 62 years, and that no departure from these rules would be allowed except upon public grounds, whether exceptions have already been made; whether he would give a Return giving the names of those officers whose services have been retained, and the circumstances under which it is desirable in the public interests to retain them; and whether the Treasury will take steps to insure that the regulation will be impartially enforced as from the 1st April 1899?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Board of Inland Revenue, I am assured, have not made, and will not make, any exception to the rule, which will be strictly and impartially enforced. Extensions of service beyond the age-limit have been made, and will be made, only on public grounds. For example, the increase in the number of tax districts recently sanctioned renders it necessary to retain a certain number of officers who have passed the limit, as otherwise officers could not be supplied to the new districts.