§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury, whether in the case of Second Division Clerks who become clerks of the Higher Division by success in open competitive examination, approved service in the Second Division counts towards superannuation; whether, in the similar case of Assistants of Excise who become Assistant Surveyors of Taxes through open competitive examination, approved service as Excise Assistants counts towards superannuation; whether the act of resignation imposed upon Civil Servants who thus attain higher rank by open competitive examination constitutes a break in their service, so that the years spent in their lower rank do not count towards superannua- 285 tion; whether, if such resignation involve such disability, the fact is clearly set out in the regulations issued by the Civil Service Commissioners; and whether, if such disability exists, the Lords of Her Majesty's Treasury see their way so to revise the regulations for superannuation that all permanent employment in the Civil Service may count towards pension.
§ MR. HANBURYWhen a man is transferred from one branch of the Civil Service to another as a result of success in a competitive examination, his previous service, if of an established character, reckons for pension, and this rule applies equally to both the cases mentioned by the hon. Member. No resignation is necessary in order to compete.