§ Mr. F. ROBERTSasked the Postmaster-General the normal age of retirement of a permanent Post Office official; how many salaried officials in the Belfast surveyor's district have attained this age and how many have been retained beyond it; what positions the latter hold; is it the rule that all civil servants should retire at 60 years of age and should only be retained beyond this age under very exceptional circumstances; and, considering the present state of unemployment in the country and stagnation of promotion in the postal service, will he consider, in the public interest, the advisability of calling on all officials, irrespective of rank, to retire on reaching the age of 60 years?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINNo normal age of retirement has been laid down. A civil servant may be called upon by the head of his Department to retire at any time after reaching the age of 60; but it is not the rule that retirement should be enforced at this age in the absence of very exceptional circumstances. There are three established Post Office servants in the Belfast district over 60 years of age, one being the Assistant Postmaster and the other two Sub-Postmasters. They are all thoroughly efficient; and I propose to retain their services for the present. I do not consider that it would be in the interests of the service to enforce retirement in every case immediately on reaching the age of 60.