§ Major HORE-BELISHAasked the Secretary of State for War, with reference to the interim decision arrived at to relieve the temporary block in promotion amongst Royal Artillery artificers by making a number of abnormal promotions, whether he will state if these promotions will be supernumerary to the establishment, thus causing a further block in promotion; whether he can see his way to give substantive promotion from the date of promotion to acting rank to those artificers promoted to acting rank after 1st March, 1922; whether he can see his way to give accelerated promotion to artificers holding charge grade certificates, 246W Class 1, Royal Artillery, artificer certificates, and first-class education certificates, granting them substantive rank on the award of these certificates; whether he will throw open the rank of warrant officer, Class 1, and district officer's commission to Royal Artillery artificers; whether, in view of the period taken for an artificer to be promoted to artificer-bombardier and the abolition of the rank of artificer-corporal, he will issue a Regulation whereby artificers on promotion should be artificer-lance-sergeants; and if he will extend the existing Regulations governing the promotion of Royal Artillery clerks to Royal Artillery artificers whereby they will, if qualified, receive promotion by time, the time dating from their first appointment to artificer-gunner?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSThe abnormal promotions recently made will be regarded as outside the existing provisional establishment and further promotions will be limited to vacancies upon that establishment. The measures recently taken were to meet special circumstances pending an examination of the whole question of promotion of artificers in the Royal Artillery and other arms of the Service. Pending the result of such examination, I regret that I am unable to go into the detailed questions raised by the hon. Member.