§ MR. T. F. RICHARDS (Wolverhampton, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to 1767 the Treasury whether, in the coming amalgamation of the Customs and Excise, all officers of Customs, clerical or practical, who have reached the age of sixty-two, will be called upon to retire, as is done in the Excise service at the present time; and whether facilities for retirement on advantageous terms will be given to officers who desire to take up their superannuation rather than accept service in the new department.
I beg also to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a position or positions under the combined Board of Excise and Customs have been offered, directly or indirectly, to highly placed Excise officials; whether he is aware that there is a belief in the Excise and Customs services that an effort is being made, by the offer of desirable positions to highly placed Excise officials, to buy off the opposition to the amalgamation; and whether he will consider the desirability of abandoning a scheme which has to be carried through by such methods.
§ MR. HOBHOUSEIn reply to this Question and to the Question on the same subject which the hon. Member has addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I beg to inform him that I am not in a position to anticipate the decision hereafter to be reached on the details of the forthcoming amalgamation of the Customs and Excise services.