§ Major BARNST0N asked the Secretary of State for War whether, at the conclusion of the War, the qualifying periods of service for promotion to the ranks of captain and major in the corps of the Royal Engineers were 15 years and just over three and a half years, respectively, whereas before the War they were 20 years and 11 years, respectively; whether there has been no promotion to these ranks in the corps since the Armistice; whether he is aware that, when the scheme of accelerated promotion, which was in force after the South African War, was abolished, the promotion of the then senior captains was graduated by adding six months to the period each succeeding batch of officers had to serve before promotion until the period of 11 years' qualifying service was again arrived at: and whether there is any intention of following a similar rule of graduated promotions in the case of the existing senior captains and senior lieutenants in the corps of the Royal Engineers, in order to compensate them for their misfortune in not having benefited by the accelerated promotion during the War?
§ Mr. CHURCHILL: The qualifying period of service in the Corps of Royal Engineers for promotion from Captain to Major was fixed at 15 years as a tentative War measure during the last two years of the War. After the Armistice the provisions of the Royal Warrant for Pay and Promotion were again acted upon. No qualifying period for promotion to Captain was fixed during the War; promotion to that rank being governed by establishment. Since the 1676W Armistice no promotions to the rank of Major or Captain have been made in the Coprs to date subsequent to the Armistice. With regard to the third part of the question, the 11 years' rule for promotion from Lieutenant to Captain (not Captain to Major) held good until 1904, but in 1904 the 9 years' rule was introduced and maintained until 1910 in which year it was made a 10 years' period and then a 10½period becoming in 1912 an 11 years' qualifying period. It is not at present intended to shorten the existing qualifying period for promotion as suggested in the last part of the hon. and gallant Member's question.