asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether temporary staffs in Government service who have already qualified at competitive examinations for establishment, but who have not yet been appointed, will be deemed to have satisfied the requirements for such appointment without further examination, or whether these staffs will be required to sit the further examination recommended by the Southborough Committee in order to secure establishment in the Civil Service?

Ex-service men who are eligible to compete at the examination to be held following the recommendations of, Lord Southborough's Committee who have already qualified at competitive examinations for the clerical class, but who have not yet been appointed, will not be required to take the further examination.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the Government Departments in which vacancies exist in the permanent general clerical class (men and women); Departmental classes (men and women); the number of vacancies existing for these classes in each Department; and whether it is proposed to afford equal facilities as between men and women temporary staffs towards securing appointment to these vacancies?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on the 24th June last to the hon. Member for the Eastern Division of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Sir R. Aske) of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy. The preference in the filling of vacancies recommended for ex-service men by the Southborough Committee renders it impossible to afford equal facilities as between men and women staffs towards securing appointment.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many cases of assault or sexual offences committed in regard to children and girls below the age of 16 were reported to the police in Scotland during the last three years; in how many of these cases convictions were obtained; how many children were concerned in these cases; how many of the children were below five years of age: and in how many of these cases were there records of previous convictions for similar offences?

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 4th August, 1924, col. 2542], supplied the following return, giving the information desired: