§ Mr. ALDENasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether promotion to the higher division of the Civil Service in cases of exceptional ability is one of the prospects held out to candidates for second division clerkships; how many such promotions have been made during each of the last ten years; what proportion they bear to the number of clerks at present serving who entered by the higher division examination and by the second division examination, respectively; whether he is aware that such promotions are discouraged by a Treasury regulation which, in the cases of second division clerks holding staff appointments, makes them con- 2207W ditional on the officer promoted submitting to a reduction of salary; and whether he will either take steps to have this regulation amended so that such promotions will not result in a loss of salary, or have the matter included in the terms of reference to the forthcoming Royal Commission on Appointments in the Civil Service?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe regulations respecting open competitive examination for clerkships in the second division of the Civil Service contain no reference to the subject of promotion to the higher division. Clause 36 of the Order in Council of 10th January, 1910, defines the conditions under which such promotions may be made exceptionally by the head of a department. The number of such promotions made during each of the last ten years, including those in the India Office, is as follows:—
1902 … … … … 5 1903 … … … … 6 1904 … … … … 1 1905 … … … … 3 1906 … … … … 6 1907 … … … … 2 1908 … … … … 6 1909 … … … … 3 1910 … … … … 7 1911 … … … … 5 44 I am unable to state the number of clerks at present serving, who entered by the higher division examination and by the second division examination, respectively; but the number of Civil Service certificates issued from open competition for Class 1 clerks and second division clerks respectively during the ten years 1902 to 1911, was as follows:—
For Class 1 clerkships 248 For second division clerkships 2,073 With regard to the latter part of the question, the rule is that a staff officer (other than the holder of a temporary staff post) who is promoted to the first division shall enter that division either at the minimum of the scale of his new post, or, if he prefers, at the salary to which he would have risen if he had remained in the second division instead of being appointed to a staff post; provided that in no case shall his commencing salary in the first division exceed the amount to which he would have risen by length of service if his original 2208W appointment had been to that division at the age of twenty-four. In some cases this rule results in a temporary loss of salary, against which must be set the very greatly improved prospects opened to the officer so promoted. The question would appear to be covered by the terms of reference to the Royal Commission.