§ Captain BOWYERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that ex-service men, married or single, who passed or qualified at the recent competitive Civil Service examinations are offered £80 per year, plus bonus, on entering, irrespective of age, whilst permanent civil servants receive the same at the age of 18; and why ex-service men who have served their country in the War are thus treated as boys of 18 when they enter the Civil Service?
Mr. YOUNGThe question of the initial salary of ex-service candidates appointed to established posts in the clerical class as the result of the recent examinations was fully considered by Lord Lytton's Committee, which arrived at the conclusion that it would be most equitable to determine the starting rate of pay by reference to the rate received in a temporary capacity. Accordingly successful candidates will enter the clerical class with initial basic salaries ranging from £80-£l50 per annum, or with current bonus from £l64-£274 5s. per annum.
§ Mr. RAPERasked the First Secretary to the Treasury how many ex-service men appeared before the Investigating Board set up by the Civil Service Commissioners; whether the ex-service men who appeared before that Board were recommended by the heads of their Departments as thoroughly competent to carry out all the duties of the clerical class; how many were recommended for permanent appointments; and how many were rejected?
Mr. YOUNG1,268 ex-service personnel who had failed to quality at the examination were interviewed by the Investigating Board. Of those, 707 were recommended for permanent appointments, 560 were rejected, and one ease, is still under consideration. In accordance with the recommendations of the Lytton Committee, the Board was required carefully to scrutinise all cases submitted, and to satisfy itself not only of the candidates' complete fitness for appointment, but also of the existence of exceptional circumstances to which failure to reach even the qualifying standard required at the examination could be attributed.