HC Deb 16 December 1919 vol 123 cc253-4W
Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKE

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that, in present circumstances, boys who sit for the apprenticeship examination at the Royal dockyards are kept waiting sometimes three months before the result is announced; and if he can accelerate the decision and consider the possibility of making the limit of age fourteen, so that boys who fail may have a chance of getting taken elsewhere?

Mr. LONG

The examinations referred to are conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners, and I understand that no avoidable delay occurs in announcing the results to competitors. The lower age limit was advanced from fourteen to fifteen years after careful consideration both by the Admiralty and by the Board of Edu- cation, and it is not considered desirable to revert to the former age limit of fourteen years.