§ Mr. DICKINSONasked the President of the Board of Trade how long it takes to grant a fresh Civil Service certificate to a member of the established Civil Service who is appointed to a post in the Labour Exchange and Unemployed Insurance Department; whether men from outside the Civil Service are frequently able to take up their duties at an earlier date than established Civil Servants who receive their appointments simultaneously; and whether, in such an event, the former take seniority over the latter in spite of their lack of Civil Service experience?
Mr. BUXTONThe transfer of an established Civil Servant from one Department to another involves certain formalities and a certain consequent delay An officer's seniority ranks from the day on which he commences duty, but promotion in the Labour Exchanges service depends primarily on merit, and an officer's prospects would never be affected by the trifling delay involved.