§ Mr. MacVEAGHasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he could state how many temporary clerks were now engaged by the Admiralty; whether he was aware that some of these temporary clerks had been in the service of the Admiralty for nearly a quarter of a century; and whether, as temporary clerks were appointed by patronage, he would see that this growing practice was abated, and that future appointments would be confined to the holders of Civil Service certificates?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe numbers of the various grades of temporary clerks, writers, etc., employed in the Admiralty and at the naval yards at home, are as follows: Admiralty 341, Outports 737. The number of men who are still on the hired list after nearly twenty-five years' service is very small, and these men have remained on the hired list because they have failed to qualify by examination for established posts. The great majority of vacancies are now filled either by open competitive examination or by promotion from the grade of boy clerk and boy writer.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHHow long must a clerk be temporary before he becomes permanent?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe term "temporary" applies to the status of a clerk and not to the period over which he is engaged.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHWill the Admiralty consider the advisability of getting out a new dictionary?