§ Mr. HUDSONasked the Postmaster-General the number, excluding officers transferred from the National Telephone Company, of second-class clerks employed in the offices of superintending engineers in London and the provinces, the average age of these officers when promoted to second-class clerkships, the rank or ranks from which the promoted officers were drawn, and the number of promotions of second-class clerks that have been made to the first class of clerks during the past ten years?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe number of second-class clerks employed in the Superintending Engineers' Offices in London and the provinces is fifty-seven. The average age of these officers on promotion was thirty-five. In each case their rank immediately prior to promotion was that of third class (or junior) clerk, Superintending Engineers' Offices. During the past ten years, eleven second-class clerks have been promoted to first-class clerkships.
§ Mr. HUDSONasked the Postmaster-General, if the classification of the late National Telephone Company's staff is yet complete so far as the Engineering Department of the Post Office is concerned; if so, will he state how many officers have been actually classified as Civil Service assistant clerks; how many, if any, of this number are under the age of seventeen 414W years; and whether any will receive special privileges or a scale of pay different to that applicable to the class of assistant clerks?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe classification of the staff taken over from the National Telephone Company is not quite complete, but it can be stated that the total number of officers graded as assistant clerks is 295, of whom 138 are in the Engineering Department. Included in the latter number are eleven officers who were on the 1st January last under seventeen years of age, four of whom have since attained that age. Seventeen is the minimum age for appointment as assistant clerk, and the officers under that age will rank as unestablished officers until they attain it. In the meantime they cannot be paid the minimum of the scale of pay for assistant clerks (£45), and they will receive the privileges of unestablished full-time officers of the Post Office service.