§ Mr. FIELDasked when the first promotion from the minor staff officer class to a junior clerkship took place in the Customs Statistical Office; what was the age of the clerk so promoted; what period of time elapsed from the date of his promotion to minor staff officer, for capacity to maintain discipline, until his further promotion to junior clerkship for capacity to perform work of a different and higher type; and how many new class assistant clerks were at that time serving in the Statistical Office who possessed the requisite merit and ability for promotion to a higher grade?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe answer to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question is June, 1906; to the second paragraph, 42; to the third paragraph, four and a half months. The public interest would not be served by giving the confidential information asked for in the fourth paragraph.
§ Mr. FIELDnext asked the Secretary to the Treasury when the last promotion from an assistant clerk to a minor staff officer took place in the Customs Statistical Office; how many assistant clerks who had been offered nominations for promotion to port clerkships were then serving in the Statistical Office; whether the claims of these assistant clerks were considered when the selection was made for the vacant minor staff officership; and, if so, will he state the reason why, when the several assistant clerks in the Customs Statistical Office who had been offered nominations for port clerkships were officially certified to possess capacity to perform work of a different and higher type, the vacancy was filled by an assistant clerk whose qualifications were apparently of a lower standard?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe answer to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question is November, 1910; to the second paragraph, four; to the third paragraph, yes; as regards the fourth paragraph, the reason is given in my reply to the hon. Member for the Tottenham Division of Middlesex on 1st November, 1909.
§ Mr. ARTHUR STANLEYasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is 1946W aware that, as a result of the Customs and Excise amalgamation, the Board of Customs and Excise had departed from their standing regulations by failing to hold yearly examinations for promotion from second to first-class examining officer of Customs, so that no examination was held from 1908 until July, 1910, although vacancies existed from May, 1909, and although the average service of those in turn for promotion had risen to 26½ years as against 23½ years for those promoted from March, 1900, to March, 1905; whether this is in accordance with the explicit assurance of the Prime Minister to the House of Commons that no officer should suffer loss as a result of the amalgamation; and whether, in view of the seriousness of the retardation of promotion thus caused, coupled with the refusal of the Board of Customs and Excise to consider favourably the case of those affected, he will give directions that the promotion of the candidates who qualified at the examination held in July, 1910, be ante-dated to the time when the vacancies actually occurred, or, failing that, that he will specially consider the case of these men so that they may reap the full benefit of their promotion before retirement?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe facts are as stated in the first part of the hon. Member's question, except the reference to a statement by the Prime Minister. The reasons which led to the temporary suspension of the examination were stated by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26th May, 1909, in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Barrow-in-Furness. I may, however, point out that, owing to the adoption in the Customs in 1908 of a uniform age for retirement a number of vacancies were created which, in the ordinary course, would not have occurred for several years, and owing to this fact the Customs officers in question have been promoted earlier than would otherwise have been the case.