MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nautical assessors are there appointed for service during the present year; how many of them are over sixty, seventy, and seventy-five years of age respectively; how many were appointed when over the ages of sixty, seventy, and seventy-five respectively; and how many belong, or have belonged, to the naval service and the merchant service respectively.
* THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERSDOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sThere are thirty-two nautical assessors appointed for service during the present year. Twenty of them are over sixty years of age, while seven are over seventy and one is over seventy-five. At the quinquennial revision of the list, which took place at the end of last year, nineteen assessors who were over sixty, including seven over seventy and one over seventy-five, received reappointment. These had all been on the list before, some of them for a number of years. One assessor over sixty was newly appointed last month. Nineteen assessors have belonged to the merchant service and five to the Navy. Several assessors who have belonged to the merchant service are also Royal Naval Reserve men.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESThere is one gentleman over seventy-five. At what age was he appointed? Cannot the right hon. Gentleman say how many were appointed when over the age of sixty?
§ * MR. AKERS-DOUGLASI think my Answer covers that. Some of them had been appointed for a number of years and they grew up to these ages in the service.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESDoes the right hon. Gentleman propose to take any steps to deplete the list of these senile assessors?
§ * MR. AKERS-DOUGLASIt has been recently decided that on the next and all subsequent revisions, all assessors over sixty-five will be retired; and that no one who is sixty-five years of age, or older, will in future be eligible.