§ 72. Mr. HURDasked the Secretary to the Treasury how many of the 124,000 employés in Government Departments who did not serve in the Navy, Army, Air Force, or Merchant Marine, were of military age during the Great War; and what steps are being taken to replace such non-serving employés by effective ex-service men?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Baldwin)Centralised statistics are not kept of the ages of Government employés. Action has been taken on the lines recommended in the interim Report of Lord Lytton's Committee, with a view to arranging for the substitution, to the greatest extent possible, of ex-service personnel for temporary non-ex-service personnel in Government Departments. It is not proposed to discharge permanent employés who did not serve in the Navy, Army, Air Force, or Merchant Marine during the War. I would remind the hon. Member that men who were of military age, and who were medically fit for military service, were only retained on their duties in Government Departments during the War if it was clear that such retention was more in the national interest than their release for military service.
§ Mr. HURDWill the right hon. Gentleman assist Members by saying how we are to redeem our pledges to ex-service men, if the men who could serve and did not are left in places which ex-service men could fill?