§ Mr. WEBBasked the Home Secretary whether it is necessary that candidates for mining inspectorships should be recommended by Members of Parliament in order to ensure their claims being considered; and, if this be not so, would he inform the House of the nature of the 613 machinery that would be put into motion in the appointment of such inspectors?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am glad to have this opportunity of saying emphatically that it is not necessary that candidates for mines inspectorships or any Home Office inspectorships should be recommended by Members of Parliament; nor does it in any way advance a candidate's interests to be so recommended unless the recommendation is based on the same kind of personal knowledge of his qualifications for the post as that of a testimonial from any other person. As there is a widespread misapprehension on the point, I am inserting a warning against seeking political or social influence in the printed instructions which are issued to candidates by the Home Office. As regards the latter part of the question, candidates are required to fill in a form of application and forward it with testimonials based on personal knowledge of the candidate to the Private Secretary at the Home Office, from whom copies of the form and all necessary information can be obtained.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs it an open competitive examination?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe conditions are well known.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANIs a nomination required to enter the examination, and, if so, who gives it?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIt has long been considered the proper practice not to judge entirely by examination, but to have some personal knowledge of the candidates. With those intentions the system of nomination has been in vogue for many years by the Secretary of State, but I cannot undertake myself personally the duty of discriminating between the candidates.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANHow is the right hon. Gentleman certain the nominations are fairly and equally distributed?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIt is very difficult to know how you make certain of anything in this world, but I am quite certain the desire is to take the best and most suitable candidate, and if I thought there was any chance of any attempt to depart from that on grounds of favour, I should certainly exert my authority against that practice.
§ Mr. STUART-WORTLEYAre we to understand that the nominations are nominations by himself and not by some outside authority?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe nominations are by the Secretary of State, who is to be responsible to Parliament for them, but that does not mean that he necessarily sees every candidate.
§ Mr. MacNEILLIs the hereditary principle taken into consideration?
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEWill the right hon. Gentleman appoint a small committee to consider applications, similar to the committee he appointed in the case of Factory Inspectorships?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI do not think that that is a question that ought to be asked without notice.