asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been drawn to a question put at a recent examination of ex-service men for permanent posts in the Civil Service requiring the candidates to compose a letter designed to persuade a friend to join the Labour party; and whether he will make representations to the Civil Service Commissioners that it is undesirable that questions be asked at an examination for the Civil Service which may create the impression that political party considerations affect the appointments?

Mr. GUINNESS:

The hon. Member does not accurately quote the question referred to, which was as follows: Taking the standpoint either of a keen supporter or of a keen opponent of the Labour party, write a letter in which you try to persuade a friend who holds opinions opposed to yours to come round to your point of view. Sign the letter with a fictitious name. As the question was thus strictly impartial, and as the candidates' numbers only, and not their names, appear on their examination papers, I cannot agree that the question is calculated to convey the impression suggested by the hon. Member.

Will the right hon. Gentleman at the next examination suggest that it should be the Conservative party instead of the Labour party?

May I ask the light hon. Gentleman whether he will have the answers compiled into a handbook for speakers?

Does the Financial Secretary not see at once that this is a sort of question which is open to very grave abuse which would enable the examiners to exercise political bias, and will he have future questions of this sort prevented?

Mr. GUINNESS:

The hon. and gallant Member must not understand from my answer that the examiners know the identity of those who are answering. It is part of the examination to show general knowledge and to show facility of expression, which such a letter would naturally do.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not even see that, without knowing the name, it would be possible to undermark or over-mark according to the political colour of the person asking the question, and is it not most improper in the Civil Service? [Laughter.] I notice the right hon. Gentleman laughs, but this is no laughing matter, and it should not be treated as a joke. I would like to ask you, Mr. Speaker, if it is right for a Minister to treat this matter of importance as a joke?

The hon. and gallant Member is speaking as if he were on the platform. Of course he is entitled to ask a supplementary question, and I have allowed him to do so. But he must wait and see if there is an answer.

Quite apart from whether it is going to be used or abused, does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that this is a type of' question that it would be far better to avoid in these examinations?

Mr. GUINNESS:

As far as possible I think it is undesirable to interfere with the discretion of the Civil Service Commissioners, and it would be very difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule that no reference to politics is to be made in general knowledge questions.

May I ask the Financial Secretary whether, in view of the great interest taken in this matter at Question Time to-day, and the very strong feeling expressed in all quarters of the House, he will draw the attention of the Civil Service Commissioners to the feeling of a large section of this House about this particular question for their future guidance?

Mr. GUINNESS:

The Civil Service Commissioners will no doubt see the questions which have been asked in this House.

I asked whether the right hon. Gentleman will draw their attention to it instead of leaving it to chance.

The answer has already been given.

On a point or Order. I wish to point out that I have not had an answer to my question. I put a question to the Financial Secretary, and he was good enough to laugh at it, but he did not give me an answer.

It may have been that the question was bound up with too many other things. Will the hon. and gallant Member put his simple question?

My simple question was—[Interruption.]

Mr. GUINNESS:

I can assure the hon. and gallant Gentleman that I was not laughing at him in any way.

I do not mind the right hon. Gentleman laughing at me.

Mr. GUINNESS:

I am sure the Civil Service Commissioners did not wish to show any bias against the Liberal party.

I do not care whether the right hon. Gentleman was laughing at me or not, but I think I am entitled to an answer and not to be laughed at. It is the question I object to being laughed at.

It is more than I can do to try to control the risible faculties of Ministers.

An HON. MEMBER:

Is it incumbent on a Minister to answer any supplementary question, however stupid?

Ministers are not bound to answer supplementary questions.

I put a question to the Minister before supplementary questions were put by any other hon. Members asking whether in future examinations the word "Conservative" would be used instead of "Labour"?