§ Captain DONELANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Civil Service Commissioners last year reduced the limit of age for candidates for the position of assistant surveyor-ship of taxes by 2½ years, and that between the announcement of the last competition for the position under the old regulations and the announcement of the result 19 of the vacancies were filled by candidates for the Civil Service intermediate examination who had competed on an easier and more limited programme and who had paid a lower entrance fee than the taxes candidates; and whether, in view of the hardship thus inflicted upon the latter, their claim to a corresponding number of places to those whithheld from them and given to candidates who had competed at the Civil Service intermediate examination will he favourably considered?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the 24th November last to the hon. Member for North Fermanagh. To this I may add that whereas only six vacancies were announced for the last competition under the old regulations, 21 were actually filled from those competing at that examination.
§ Captain DONELANIs it proposed to make any compensation to the candidates referred to in the question?
§ Mr. C. HOBHOUSENo, Sir.