§ MR. KELLEY (Manchester, S.W.)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, on 20th November, 1896, a circular was issued to postal surveyors by the direction of the Postmaster-General stating that he had come to the conclusion that, in the interests of the service, and especially in order to afford a proper flow of promotion to the officers engaged in it, it was desired to resort more generally in the future to the power of requiring any officer of the, Department, irrespective of the amount of his salary, to retire on reaching the age of sixty; will he say whether he is still carrying out the policy indicated by his predecessor and whether, in view of a number of telegraph officials at Manchester and other towns, including Glasgow and Cardiff, who are at or near the age of sixty years, he will state if retirement is to be made compulsory at these offices.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The policy indicated in the circular to 1593 which the hon. Member refers is still followed. The rule is that all pensionable officers, of whatever grade, whose conduct, capacity, or efficiency falls below a fair standard, are called upon to retire at sixty years of age; but retirement at sixty is not enforced in the case of officers whose conduct is good and who are certified by their superior officers to be thoroughly efficient.