§ 61. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Defence what provision he has made or is making with a view to finding appointments in Her Majesty's administrative or other service of the officers recently retired or to be retired from Her Majesty's forces; how many applications for such appointments he 169W has received; how many such appointments have been made; to which services; and what educational and other tests are made of the fitness of such retired officers for appointments in other branches of Her Majesty's service.
§ Mr. SandysThe answer is as follows:
There are long-standing arrangements for the entry of ex-Regulars, both officers and other ranks, into the Civil Service. For almost all posts which are filled through Civil Service Commission competitions the ex-Regular can deduct his period of Regular service from his actual age so as to bring himself within the prescribed age limits. For some Civil Service grades a proportion of vacancies filled by examination is reserved for ex-Regulars, and in the clerical and executive classes they can take a special examination designed to test general intelligence rather than academic knowledge.
In the administrative and special departmental classes, besides an age concession, formal educational qualifications may be waived in the case of ex-Regulars who are recommended by their Service authority as warranting consideration by reason of their record, education, intelligence and personal qualities.
In the executive class a number (at present approximately 150) of the vacancies are allotted to ex-Regulars provided a sufficient number reach the required standard. Within this reservation there is a special quota for those with more than twelve years' service.
In the clerical class about 450 posts (10 per cent. of the annual vacancies in the class) may be filled from a special competition held each year for ex-Regulars. There is no age limit and there are separate quotas for those with less and those with more than twelve years' service.
Out of some 4,300 ex-Regular applicants for the administrative, executive and clerical grades of the Civil Service and corres5onding grades of the Foreign Service, 1,328 have been successful. It is not possible to say how many of these were officers.
There are age concessions and special reservations for ex-Regulars in competitions for appointment as telecommunication traffic superintendents (15 per cent.), Post Office assistant engineers (10 per cent.) and assistant preventive officers in the Customs and Excise (10 per cent.).