asked the Prime Minister if advantage will be taken of the provisions of the Order-in-Council of January, 1910, to ask all Civil Servants who have attained the age of 60 years and over to retire in order to make room for others and help to diminish the, ranks of the unemployed.

Sir J. D. REES:

asked the Prime Minister whether, in order to save pensions and salaries at this critical financial time, he will consider the propriety of relaxing the 60-year-old rule in the case of all Civil Servants who continue to be equal to the discharge of the duties required of them.

With the permission of the hon. Members, I will answer these two mutually distinctive questions together. It would not conduce to the efficiency of the public service either to retire or to retain indiscriminately all Civil servants who have attained the age of 60; the public interest is best served by maintaining the present discretion of Heads of Departments.