§ Sir I. Fraserasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether prisoners of war will be eligible to study for and take the examinations for entry to the Civil Service referred to in the White Paper on Recruitment to Established Posts in the Civil Service during the Reconstruction Period while they are still in enemy countries.
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§ Mr. PeakeThe Civil Service Commissioners, in consultation with the Prisoners of War Department of the British Red Cross Society, are arranging to send out to the camp leaders of prisoner of war camps in Germany copies of the White Paper (Cmd. 6567) and as soon as possible copies of the regulations, application forms and other explanatory matter about the reconstruction competitions. Prisoners of war in Germany will, therefore, have an opportunity before the war is over of notifying their intention to compete and of preparing for the competitions by general reading; as the White Paper indicates, the competitions will be of a type for which no special academic study is required. I regret that since the Japanese refuse to allow communication through the Red Cross Society with prisoner of war camps in Japan or Japanese-occupied territory, similar arrangements cannot be made at present for prisoners of war in those camps.
It will not be possible for any prisoners of war to take the examinations while still in enemy hands. But the Civil Service Commissioners will ensure that there is plenty of time for prisoners of war to compete after they have returned home and had full time to recover, and steps will be taken to reserve suitable proportions of vacancies to allow for this. As stated in the White Paper, late entrants will be at no disadvantage either in opportunity of competing or in pay if successful.