§ Mr. W. GRAHAMasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been drawn to the complaints of ex-service men regarding the way in which paragraph 37 of the third interim Report of the Lytton Committee is being interpreted by heads of public Departments; whether in many cases they have applied to the Civil Service Commission for permission for ex-service men who have failed by a few marks in examinations, frequently due to their ill-health arising from war disablement, to appear before an investigating board, merely because they had a doubt whether the men would be able for the whole of the duties of the clerical class; whether appearance before a board of investigation has been granted to numerous men who actually obtained fewer marks in examinations than the men who have been refused such appearance; and whether, in view of the desirability that disabled ex-service men should not be exposed to this risk of departmental error and anomaly, he will direct that in all cases where the men can present a fair case as to their disablement and qualifications they shall have access to such boards?
Mr. YOUNGI am satisfied that the paragraph referred to is being interpreted in the manner intended by the Lytton Committee, who recommended that applications to appear before the investigating board should be submitted by heads of Departments only in respect of candidates who, in their opinion, were specially competent to carry out the whole of the duties likely to he required of members of the clerical class, and whom they were prepared to employ, if declared successful, in their own Department. I see no reason to modify this procedure.