asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is aware that in the Accountant-General's Department of the National Health Insurance Commission, Maida Hill, three sorters from the General Post Office have recently been appointed to the class of supervising assistant clerks; whether there is a precedent for the appointment of officers from a non-clerical grade, or from any class but the class of assistant clerks, to the rank of supervising assistant clerks; and whether he can arrange for the three officers in question to be reclassified, thus removing the danger to the interests of the supervising assistant clerks class generally, and particularly of the assistant clerks employed at Maida Hill.

Yes, Sir. The officers in question were specially selected on the recommendation of the Postmaster-General after a period of temporary service under the Commission because they proved to possess special qualifications and experience for the particular duties which were required and which were of immediate urgency, namely: the supervision and training of assistant and other clerks engaged in sorting work. They were already in receipt of salaries in excess of the maximum of the scale of assistant clerks. No assistant clerks in the service of the Commission were suitable for promotion for this work, and the Commission were fortunate in being able to have recourse, in order to fill these positions, to the staff of the Post Office. While the qualifications of assistant clerks are considered in making such appointments I cannot recognise that they have any exclusive claim to promotion to be supervising clerks.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he has caused any inquiry to be made from the education committees of county councils in England and Wales as to the nature of the occupations taken up by boys on first leaving school; what county councils now collect and publish such information; whether he will publish all such available information as a Parliamentary Paper; and whether he will take steps to induce all county education committees to keep a register of after careers of children on leaving school?

The Board make no inquiry from education committees as to the nature of the occupations taken up by boys after leaving elementary schools, but such inquiries are made by certain local education authorities, and the results have in some cases been communicated to the Board. The education committees of nine county councils have submitted schemes under the Choice of Employment Act, and when the schemes come into operation the Board propose to call for information of the kind referred to in the question, in connection with the working of the schemes. I understand that in Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire a systematic record is kept by the local education authority of the occupations of boys and girls leaving elementary schools, and that steps are being taken to collect similar information in Cumberland and in Huntingdonshire. I shall be glad to suggest to county education committees the desirability of collecting particulars of the kind referred to, but until I have heard from them I cannot say whether I shall be in a position to publish statistics of any value. Meanwhile, I shall be glad to give the hon. Member any information at present in my possession. The authorities of secondary schools on the Board's grant list are required by the Board to keep a record of the further education or the occupation taken up by each pupil after leaving the school. This information is published annually in the Board's Statistics of Public Education, Part I.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the Macroom (No. 2) old age pension sub-committee granted a pension of 5s. a week to Daniel Duggan; that this man assigned his farm and effects to his son thirteen years ago, reserving only to himself an annuity of £7 10s. a year and a room in his son's house; and that the pension officer, after Duggan was for some years in unquestioned receipt of his pension, has now appealed against the further grant of it on the ground that his income exceeds the statutory limit; will he explain how £7 10s. and the use of a room can be made to, exceed £31 10s. per annum; and, in the circumstances of the case and seeing that Duggan is now eighty-eight years of age, will the Local Government Board have his pension at once restored?

An appeal has been lodged in this case, but the papers relating to it have not yet been received by the Local Government Board. I am not, therefore, at present in a position to reply to the hon. Member's question.

There is a Royal Commission appointed for half-past four. I propose to leave the Chair from now (12.20) till then unless some message should arrive from the Lords, which would necessitate an earlier meeting. In that event, I will have the bells rung throughout the House, so that hon. Members may know that I am about to take the Chair, and that business is to be resumed.Sitting accordingly suspended.At half-past Four the House resumed.