Dr. LITTLEasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why the vacancy existing for Class I clerkship in the Customs and Excise Department is being reserved to be filled from the recent examination list, seeing that there is already in the Department a candidate, an honours graduate of the University of London, who qualified with a high place at the last examination, and who has been offered no advancement nor afforded any opportunity for advancement; and whether this candidate, whose very special circumstances are now before the Lords of the Treasury, could be afforded a measure of consideration, such as opportunity to sit at a subsequent examination, if he cannot be appointed for the existing vacancy?
§ Captain HOLTasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether one of the vacant Class I posts can be given to the permanent civil servant whose appeal has lately been before the Treasury, and who in the 1921 open com-petition obtained a higher proportion of marks than was on the average sufficient to secure an appointment at the last four pre-War competitions; whether he is aware that this civil servant has been allowed only one opportunity to compete instead of the five additional opportunities hitherto allowed; and whether he can be offered some special consideration in view of the fact that he has had no opportunity of advancement?
1719W
Mr. GUINNESSHon. Members will appreciate that it would not be proper for me in reply to a Parliamentary question to discuss the claims of individual civil servants to advancement. The Board of Customs and Excise decided after careful survey of all the circumstances that the vacancy in the junior administrative class in that Department should be filled by recourse to the open competition and not by special promotion. It is not possible for me to modify the normal rules governing the admission of established civil servants to open competitions to permit the special entry of a particular officer to a competition.