§ MR. MOORE (Armagh, N.)To ask the Postmaster-General if he is aware that in Portadown Post Office the established staff consists of seven Protestants and twelve Roman Catholics, and the un-established staff of three Protestants and four Roman Catholics; if he is aware that three Roman Catholics and one Protestant have recently been promoted to the established staff, and that one of these promotions is that of a man having a brother on the established staff and is, 1836 therefore, contrary to the general practice; will he say if P. Breen has passed the necessary Civil Service examination if he has been promoted over the ex-telegraph messengers employed at Portadown, and if he will state why the rule as to offering a soldier candidate an appointment was ignored in this instance and a suitable soldier passed over; and if it is intended in a Protestant community to reduce the numerical grievance under which Protestants in the Portadown Post Office suffer.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) It is not the practice to take into consideration the religious beliefs of candidates for appointments in the Post Office, and it would be undesirable to introduce such a practice. Inquiry is being made as regards the other point mentioned in the hon. Member's Question.