§ Mr. Hore-Belishaasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many senior officers of the shipwright branch are due 1210W for retirement, in accordance with the age clause, from 1933 onwards; and if he will consider whether it would be possible for vacancies to be anticipated by promoting a number of shipwright ratings to warrant rank during the current year in order to make the flow of promotions regular and to enable those who would otherwise become over age to avoid disqualification on this ground?
§ Mr. AMMONThe numbers of senior officers of the shipwright branch, i.e., those at present holding the rank of shipwright lieutenant or commissioned shipwright, due to be retired on account of age during each of the years 1933–1940, inclusive, are as follow:
Year. … … … … Number of retirements. 1933 … … … … 8 1934 … … … … 14 1935 … … … … 8 1936 … … … … 10 1937 … … … … 19 1938 … … … … 8 1939 … … … … 4 1940 … … … … 10 The question whether any promotions to warrant shipwright can be made pending absorption of the existing surplus of shipwright officers is under consideration.
§ Mr. Hore-Belishaasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many shipwright ratings have qualified for promotion to warrant shipwright; what proportion these shipwright ratings bear to the total complement of the branch; and how many of them, although qualified, will be unable, by reason of the age clause, to obtain the benefit of their qualification when the next batch for promotions is made?
§ Mr. AMMONThere are at present nine shipwright ratings qualified and eligible for promotion to warrant shipwright, or about 1 per cent. of the total complement of the branch. The question whether any promotions to warrant shipwright can be made, pending absorption of the existing surplus, is under consideration, and it is not possible to say how many of the qualified candidates will fail to obtain promotion by reason of the age clause.
§ Mr. Hore-Belishaasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the time served by shipwright officers as warrant and commissioned 1211W shipwrights before promotion to shipwright lieutenant compares unfavourably with that served by warrant officers in other branches of the service before receiving an equivalent step in rank; and whether he will undertake to remedy this inequality?
Mr. AMNONThe time served by warrant shipwrights before promotion to commissioned shipwright is the same as that served by warrant officers in other comparable branches, namely, 10 years. The number of shipwright lieutenants is 8 per cent. of the total number of officers in the branch, i.e., it is based upon the same rule as that applicable in other comparable branches. There is no material disparity between the shipwright and such other branches as regards the time served as commissioned officer from warrant rank, and it would not be practicable under the 8 per cent. rule to so regulate promotion as to equalise the time served in that rank.