§ Sir H. CRAIKasked the Prime Minister whether, in connection with the Southborough Report, it has been brought to his knowledge that the continuance of temporarily-appointed ex-service men, if not duly safeguarded, is endangering the efficiency of the public service, and that meanwhile many highly-qualified ex-service men who, after service in the Army, passed the highest examination, are being debarred from those appointments which were offered as an inducement to them to qualify for that examination; and if the Treasury is prepared to take any action to prevent this hardship?
Mr. GRAHAMI may remind the right hon. Member that the Final Report of the Southborough Committee has no bearing on the question, to which I assume he refers, of further appointments from among the candidates who took the open examination in 1921 for the administrative class. Having regard to the undertakings given by the Treasury in consequence of the Report of the Lytton Committee it is impossible to resume appointments from the 1921 list. With 1777W regard to future recruitment to the Civil Service, the Government have adopted the recommendations contained in the Final Report of Lord Southborough's Committee which they hope, while duly safeguarding the efficiency of the public service, will afford a settlement of the problems arising in connection with the temporary employment of ex-service men in Government Departments.