Viscountess ASTORasked the Minister of Labour whether, seeing that the majority of writing assistants who have been transferred to Employment Exchanges for the purpose of promotion to the employment clerk grade have passed their period of trial successfully, he will, under those circumstances, offer further appointments in this grade to writing assistants in his Department?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThe question of offering further appointments in the grade of employment clerk in this Department to writing assistants employed in this Department is under consideration.
Viscountess ASTORasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, although a number of clerical class vacancies exist in the Money Order Department, practically no promotions have been made recently from the ranks of a large number of writing assistants 478W employed in that office; and whether he will now consider the claims of this grade to further promotions, in view of the comparatively high seniority of many of the suitable women employed?
§ Viscount WOLMERThere are nine vacancies in the Money Order Department for women clerical officers, and the claims to promotion of eight writing assistants who have been on trial on the higher duties for some months past are at present receiving consideration. It is not yet certain whether it will be necessary to appoint an officer to fill the ninth vacancy.
§ Mr. W. BAKERasked the Postmaster-General what machinery exists for the promotion of shorthand typists employed in offices where no superintendentships exist in connection with superintendent vacancies in other branches of the Post Office; and what definitions have been laid down recently by his Department for assisting reporting officers in preparing annual reports upon writing assistants under the following headings: personality and force of character, judgment, power of taking responsibility, initiative, power of supervising staff, zeal and address, and tact?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONNo special machinery exists for the promotion of shorthand typists employed in offices where there are no posts for superintendents of typists. Their claims to a superintendentship in another office would only be considered in the absence of any sufficiently well-qualified local candidate. I am, however, considering the question whether it is desirable to introduce a common seniority list. With regard to the second part of the question, the form of the annual reports to be furnished upon writing assistants is under consideration by a sub-committee of the Post Office Departmental Whitley Council. No annual reports on writing assistants in the Post Office have yet been called for, and no definitions such as those referred to have been laid down.
§ Mr. R. MORRISONasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a writing assistant, fourth on the seniority list of the Paymaster-General's Office, has recently been appointed to the Ministry of Health, inspector grade, at a salary rising to £300 basic; that this writing assistant was last year passed over for local promotion to 479W the clerical class, carrying a maximum of £180 basic, because she was regarded as less suitable for promotion to the clerical grade than a comparatively junior writing assistant; whether he is aware that amongst such senior girls passed over for promotion one had qualified in an examination for appointment to the Customs and Excise clerical class, with a maximum of £180 basic, and was not called up solely on account of the small number of posts in this class reserved for non-service personnel, four have held Grade II appointments, one had been employed on Grade I work, and another has since been made responsible for the supervision of eight writing assistants in an unpaid capacity, although this duty is defined as clerical in the Reorganisation Report; and whether, in the circumstances, he will go into the question of making further promotions to the clerical class from amongst writing assistants employed in the office concerned, and will give instructions that in making further promotions seniority shall be given full weight.
§ Mr. McNEILLThe facts are as stated, except that no writing assistant has been formally entrusted with the supervision of others. An unauthorised arrangement of this sort which has come to notice will be discontinued. The writing assistant recently selected for promotion to clerk was so selected, after full consideration of the claims of her colleagues, on the ground of her superior suitability for clerical work. The question of promotion of further individual writing assistants in this office will continue to receive sympathetic consideration. Whilst I could not accept the view that seniority should be the governing or main consideration in such cases, it has already been laid down for the guidance of all Departments that in making selections for promotion to posts in which the work is of a routine character, seniority should be allowed more weight than in the case of promotions to posts involving greater responsibility and initiative.
§ Mr. HAYESasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that some 20 senior shorthand typists in his Department have applied for promotion recently, in accordance with the principle laid down by the National Whitley Council for the Civil 480W Service, under which shorthand typists, equally with writing assistants, are to be considered for promotion to the clerical class from time to time; and upon what grounds have these claims been refused consideration?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The second part does not in these circumstances arise, but I would refer the hon. Member to the concluding paragraph of the answer given to the hon. Member for Lambeth, North (Mr. Briant) on the 3rd December.