§ DR. THOMPSON (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if the Advisory Board of the Royal 1331 Army Medical Corps is solely responsible for recommending promotions in the corps; and whether, seeing that this Board is partly composed of civilians and partly of comparatively junior officers, who may themselves benefit by the supersession of their seniors, he will consider the advisability of altering the duties of the Advisory Board so as to leave the military responsibilities of promotions in the hands of the Director-General of the Royal Army Medical Corps.
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER,) Belfast, W.The Advisory Board is not solely responsible for recommending promotions in the Royal Army Medical Corps. The Advisory Board sends forward the names of those officers whom it considers professionally qualified for promotion, and the Selection Board decides whether, from a military point of view, they are fit to be promoted. All promotions are finally approved by the Secretary of State for War. I may add that the junior medical officers on the Advisory Board do not give an opinion on the qualifications of officers senior to themselves.