§ Sir J. D. REESasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the age concessions lately made for candidates for the Indian Civil Service only obtain in the case of candidates who have done military service; and, if so, whether the Secretary of State will reconsider such concessions, in view of the facts that men who are medically unfit for, or have sharked, military duty, are not likely to make the best Indian Civil servants, and that unsuccessful candidates will, under existing regulations, have lost their share of soldiering without any advantage to themselves and with loss to the State; whether such age concessions as have been made are insufficient, in view of the fact that they extend only to one year, while no one can join the forces for a less period than the length of the War; and whether the whole period of active service with the Colours should count for pension?
§ Mr. C. ROBERTSAs is stated in the notice announcing the concessions, they apply only to such prospective candidates for Indian appointments as may have rendered field service during the present War. The concessions were settled in consultation with the Civil Service Commission after careful consideration of all circumstances, and they are thought not to be inadequate. The restriction to one year as a maximum of the period that a candidate may deduct from his actual age on account of military service had in view the fact that any such concession would, for candidates entitled to claim it, raise the age limit for the Indian Civil Service,336W and that it is doubtful whether the present age limit is not already too high. As regards the last part of the question, the pensions of Indian civilians are earned by duty in that service. Military duty rendered before an officer joins that service cannot be taken into account.