§ Mr. FIELDasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he could state the number of assistant clerks and second division clerks, respectively, on the permanent establishment of the Customs and Excise; how many of the former are eligible by service for promotion to second division clerkships, and how many to junior clerkships; how many vacancies will arise through superannuation on the second division class and junior clerks' class, respectively, during the next live years; how many vacancies are estimated to arise in these classes in the next twelve months; and what proportion of such vacancies will be allotted to meritorious assistant clerks in the Customs and Excise Department?
Mr. McKINNON WOODThere are 325 assistant clerks on the permament establishment of the Customs and Excise Department, of whom 204 are eligible in point of service for promotion to second division or junior clerkships. It cannot be stated how many vacancies will arise in these latter classes in the future. In regard to the remaining points in the question, I beg to refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for the Kennington Division of Lambeth on the 22nd instant.
§ Mr. FIELDasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state what subjects Mr. Chandler is required to qualify in to receive his certificate for junior clerkship in the Customs statistical office; whether Mr. Chandler has been unable to 544W take up the superior post to which he has been nominated owing to the refusal of the Civil Service Commissioners to grant him the necessary certificate; if so, will he state how many times they have refused and on what grounds; whether it is intended to continue to present Mr. Chandler to the Commissioners until he succeeds in obtaining their certificate, and when will his next examination test take place?
Mr. McKINNON WOODMr. Chandler was required to satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners that he was qualified in handwriting, orthography, arithmetic, copying manuscript, English composition, indexing or docketing, and digesting returns into summaries, and as he had passed in all these subjects, except indexing, at former examinations held under, the direction of the Civil Service Commissioners, he was examined on this occasion in that subject only. He has failed to pass this examination, but he will be allowed a second attempt.