§ MR. FETHERSTONHAUGH (Fermanagh, N.)To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether at the examination held in September for assistant surveyorships of taxes the unprecedentedly small number of only six places 88 was available for competition; was this caused by filling up nineteen places in the taxes department from candidates at the junior assistants examination held in July; was any notice given to intended candidates for the September examination that almost four-fifths of the vacancies for which they might fairly suppose they were competing were to be filled by the results of an examination for a quite different department; and would he recommend for taxes appointment, say, the first ten of the rejected in September.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) The total number of six assistant surveyor-ships of taxes offered for competition at the examination held in September was below the average of previous years, owing to the number of retirements under the age limit having this year been unprecedentedly small. The number of vacancies was in no way due to the subsequent appointment of nineteen candidates from the junior assistants examination held in July, who were added to the establishment in view of an increase which was authorised by the Treasury as from 1st October, 1908, but which had not been sanctioned at the time when the September examination was announced. The candidates for the September examination were informed by advertisement and notice from the Civil Service Commissioners that not less than six vacancies would be open to competition, and this number was accordingly filled from the list. I cannot undertake to make any such recommendation as that suggested by the hon. Member in the last sentence of the Question.