§ Mr. FIELDasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, out of four men at present under nomination in the Customs Statistical Office and four men who have refused or failed to satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners, three men in each case have experience of one branch only; and whether he will give instructions that the present practice of retaining certain men in the same branch during their official careers, engaged on similar duties, be discontinued in consequence of the advantage they possess, as shown by the nominations, over clerks who are removed periodically, engaged on different duties, and reported on by different senior clerks?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, except that two, not three, of the four men who refused promotion or failed to qualify have experience of one branch only. As stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question of 4th instant, transfers from one branch to another are now effected as much as possible. There is no foundation for the suggestion that clerks who have been employed in one branch only are more advantageously placed for securing a nomination than their colleagues who have served in several branches.