Lieut.-Commander Hutchisonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many promotions to the rank of warrant engineer were made during 1948; how many of such officers had previously failed to pass the examination for the rank of sub-lieutenant (E.); and why priority in promotion to the rank of warrant engineer is given to such officers over men who have passed the professional and educational examinations for this rank.
Mr. DugdaleTwenty-three promotions to the rank of warrant engineer were made in 1948. None of these officers had failed to qualify at the examination for commissioned rank and no candidates who fail to pass that examination are accepted as warrant officers in the Engineering Branch without qualifying in the normal way. Before July, 1948, candidates for commissioned rank who passed the examination but failed to be selected by the final selection board were 43W exempt from the educational test and professional examination for warrant rank, and were promoted to that rank after ratings successful in the normal way. Since that date they have been required to pass the professional examination in competition with the other ratings.