§ 53. Lieut.-Colonel JAMESasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, with regard to the instruction issued by the Board of Customs and Excise asking collectors and heads of Departments to recommend a certain number of Departmental clerks for promotion to the officers' grade, in which an age limit of 30 has been imposed, which rules out all Lytton and Southborough candidates who are ex-service men, he will be prepared to adjust the instruction so that ex-service men will be 2047 allowed to deduct from their present age their years of war service, as was done in the recent examination for officers in the Customs and Excise?
§ Sir G. HENNESSYMy right hon. Friend regrets that he is unable to agree to any modification of this condition which has been made with reference to the particular requirements of the junior members of the grade of Officer of Customs and Excise. I may add that it is not the case that the age limit referred to will result in ruling out all Lytton and Southborough candidates who are ex-service men.