§ Sir B. FALLEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that non-continuous service officers' stewards and cooks receive quicker promotion than continuous service ratings of this branch; and whether he will take the necessary steps to ensure that continuous ratings do not suffer by preferential treatment to ratings who are borne for non-continuous service?
Mr. DAVIDSONThere is no regular scheme of advancement for non-continuous service officers' stewards and cooks who for the most part—but not invariably—obtain their advancement by being selected, when a ship commissions for duty, in a higher grade than that in which they served during their previous commission. Consequently, it is hardly possible to compare the rate of promotion of non-continuous service ratings with that of corresponding continuous service ratings. All possible steps are taken to safeguard the interests of the continuous service ratings.