§ 24. Mr. A. V. Alexanderasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give special consideration to the position of commissioned warrant officers now serving voluntarily an additional five years, with a view to giving them opportunities for promotion, having regard to the fact that other officers, with considerably less service, are frequently promoted over their heads; or whether, alternatively, commissioned warrant officers can be promoted to the rank of lieutenant on retirement?
§ Sir S. HoareThe officers in question are re-engaged as retired officers and on the understanding that they shall have no claim to promotion during the term of their re-engagement. The right hon. Member will appreciate, moreover, that the number of appointments in which comparatively elderly officers can be employed in the rank of lieutenant is very limited, and that the promotion, during their re-engagement, of the officers to whom he refers would therefore give rise to difficulties, since it would involve a corresponding restriction in the chances of promotion of those officers who have not 322 reached the age for compulsory retirement. The arrangement suggested in the second part of the question as an alternative is already carried out to the extent that these officers are eligible for promotion to the rank of lieutenant on the termination of their employment, provided that they have had three years' sea service as commissioned officers from warrant rank.