§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is aware that in the Accountant-General's Department of the National Health Insurance Commission, Maida Hill, three sorters from the General Post Office have recently been appointed to the class of supervising assistant clerks; whether there is a precedent for the appointment of officers from a non-clerical grade, or from any class but the class of assistant clerks, to the rank of supervising assistant clerks; and whether he can arrange for the three officers in question to be reclassified, thus removing the danger to the interests of the supervising assistant clerks class generally, and particularly of the assistant clerks employed at Maida Hill.
§ Mr. MASTERMANYes, Sir. The officers in question were specially selected on the recommendation of the Postmaster-General after a period of temporary service under the Commission because they proved to possess special qualifications and experience for the particular duties which were required and which were of immediate urgency, namely: the supervision and training of assistant and other clerks engaged in sorting work. 91W They were already in receipt of salaries in excess of the maximum of the scale of assistant clerks. No assistant clerks in the service of the Commission were suitable for promotion for this work, and the Commission were fortunate in being able to have recourse, in order to fill these positions, to the staff of the Post Office. While the qualifications of assistant clerks are considered in making such appointments I cannot recognise that they have any exclusive claim to promotion to be supervising clerks.