§ Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will in future advertise all posts above Assistant Secretary that are vacant.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisNo. As the Fulton Committee concluded, it is desirable that the great majority of those who occupy senior posts should be appointed from within a career Civil Service.
§ Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether there is a fixed number of Assistant Secretaries and Principals who can be recruited each year from outside the Civil Service; whether there are any restrictions in such cases on age; and why there are any such restrictions.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisNo. There is no general recruitment from outside the Civil Service of Assistant Secretaries, although specialised appointments are occasionally made at this level. In recent years an average of 35 Principals have been recruited annually, the numbers being primarily dependent on the needs of Departments. Applicants must be at least 28 and under 52 years of age, these 331W limits reflecting, at the lower end, the need for experience and maturity, and at the upper end the expectation of a reasonable period of service before retirement.