OPEN NEW REGULATIONS AS TO COMPETITIONS. Order in Council of 4th June, 1870. "Whereas, it is expedient to continue, with certain amendments, the existing provision for testing according to fixed rules the qualifications of persons who may from time to time be proposed to be appointed, either permanently or temporarily, to any situation or employment in any of her Majesty's Civil establishments, except as hereinafter mentioned: I. 66 Now, therefore, her Majesty, by and with the advice of her Privy Council, doth order, that the Right Hon. Sir Edward Ryan, First Commissioner under her Majesty's Orders in Council of the 21st May, 1855, and the 26th of April, 1862, and George Webbe Dasent, Esq., Doctor of Civil Law, or such other persons as her Majesty may from time to time approve in the stead of them, or either of them, shall be her Majesty's Civil Service Commissioners for testing the qualifications of the persons so proposed to be appointed to any situation or employment in the Civil establishments as aforesaid, and shall hold their offices during the pleasure of her Majesty: the said Sir Edward Ryan, continuing to be the First Commissioner, and the said George Webbe Dasent, being the Second Commissioner; and shall have power, subject to the approval of the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, to appoint from time to time such assistant examiners and others as may be required to assist them in the performance of the duties hereinafter assigned to them. 66 II. And it is hereby ordered that (except as may be excepted under clause VII. of this Order, and in the schedule marked B. annexed hereto) the qualifications of all such persons as may be proposed to be appointed, either permanently or temporarily, to any situation or employment in any department of the Civil Service shall, before they are employed, be tested by or under the directions of the said Commissioners; and no person (except as aforesaid) shall be employed in any department of the Civil Service until he shall have been reported by the said Commissioners to be qualified to be admitted on probation to such situation or employment. III. "No person shall be appointed to any office or employment in any of her Majesty's Civil establishments until he shall be reported by the said Commissioners to have satisfied them : 1st. That he is within the limits of age prescribed for the situation or employment to which he desires to be admitted. 2nd. That he is free from any physical defect or disease which would be likely to interfere with the proper discharge of his duties. 3rd. That his character is such as to qualify him for such situation or employment; and 4th. That he possesses the requisite knowledge and ability to enter on the discharge of his official duties. IV. "The rules applicable to each department, under each of the above heads, shall be settled, subject to the approval of the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, by the said Civil Service Commissioners and the chief authorities of the department. V. "Except as hereinafter is excepted, all appointments which it may be necessary to make, after the 31st day of August next, to any of the situations included, or to be included, in Schedule A. to this Order annexed, shall be made by means of competitive examinations, according to regulations to be from time to time framed by the said Civil Service Commissioners, and approved by the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, open to all persons (of the requisite age, health, character, and other qualifications prescribed in the said regulations) who may be desirous of attending the same, subject to the payment of such fees as the said Civil Service Commissioners, with the consent of the said Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, may from time to time require; such examinations to be held at such periods, and for such situations, or groups of situations in the same or different departments as the said Civil Service Commissioners, with the approval of the said Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, shall from time to time determine, and to have reference either to the vacancies existing at the time of the examinations respectively, or to the number which may be estimated to occur within any period not exceeding six months after the commencement of the examination, as the said Civil Service Commissioners, after consultation with the chief authorities of the various departments, and with the approval of the said Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, may deem expedient. VI." After the candidate, reported as aforesaid by the Commissioners, has been appointed to an office or employment, he shall enter on a period of probation, during which his conduct and capacity in the transaction of business shall be subjected to such tests as may be determined by the chief of the department to which he is attached, and he shall not remain in the public service after six months from the date of his appointment, unless satisfactory proofs of his fitness shall have been furnished to the chief of such department, and a certificate of his qualification shall have been issued by the Civil Service Commissioners. A formal record of the particulars and of the result of such probation, signed by the chief of the department, shall be furnished to the Civil Service Commissioners, and filed in their office, and they shall thereupon and not sooner, if such record should be satisfactory, issue their certificate of the candidate's qualifications for employment. The candidate after, no less than before, the issue of such certificate shall hold his office at the pleasure of the chief of his department. VIII. "In case the chief of a department to which a situation belongs and the Lords of the Treasury shall consider that the qualifications in respect of knowledge and ability deemed requisite for such situation are wholly or in part professional, or otherwise peculiar, and not ordinarily to be acquired in the Civil Service, and the said chief of the department shall propose to appoint thereto a person who has acquired such qualifications in other pursuits, or in case the said chief of the department and the Lords of the Treasury shall consider that, either for the purpose of facilitating transfers from the Redundant List or for other reasons it would be for the public interest that examinations should be wholly or partially dispensed with, the Civil Service Commissioners may dispense with examinations wholly or partially, and may grant their certificate of qualification upon evidence satisfactory to them that the said person possesses the requisite knowledge and ability, and is duly qualified in respect of age, health, and character. VIII. "And it is lastly hereby ordered that the situations mentioned, or referred to, in the Schedule marked B., hereto annexed, shall be wholly excepted from the operation of this Order, provided that the chief anthorities of any department, with the concurrence of the Lords of the Treasury, by notice in the London Gazette, may, from time to time, add situations to either of the said schedules, or withdraw situations therefrom, or restore thereto situations which may have been withdrawn." SCHEDULE A. EDMUND HARRISON. "Departments to which the principle of open competition, provided in Class V. of this Order is to be applied : Situations altogether excepted from the operation of this Order :1. All situations to which the holder is appointed directly by the Crown 2. All situations included in any Order or Warrant made by the Commissioners of the Treasury under Section 4, of the Superannuation Act, 1859. 3. All situations which are filled in the customary course of promotion, by persons previously serving in the same department. The following is an Abstract of the Regulations Proposed by the Civil Service Commissioners : 1. That an examination will be held in London for permanent clerkships and similar situations in some or in all of the departments before-named. Twenty such places will be filled up, if so many Candidates are found qualified. FIRST CLASS EXAMINATION. 2. (a). That the age of Candidates be between 18 and 24 ycars. (b). That their health and character be such as to satisfy the Commissioners. (c). That they have passed a preliminary examination, which will be held in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, on the following subjects 1. Handwriting. 2. Orthography. 3. Arithmetic (to Vulgar and Decimal Fractions). 4. English Composition. 3. And any Candidate who fails in this test will not be allowed to present himself again within a period of six months. All who pass the test will be called to the next Competition which will be held. Candidates must apply, by letter (in their own handwriting), at least a fortnight before they wish to attend for examination, to the Civil Service Commissioners, and each pay a fee of £1. 5. The Competitive Examination will take place in the following branches of knowledge : History of England-including that of the Laws and ... ... English Language and Literature ... ... ... 500 ... 750 Language, Literature, and History of Greece Mathematics (Pure and Mixed) ... Natural Science: that is (1) Chemistry, including ... "The total (1000) may be obtained by adequate proficiency in any two or more of the five branches of science included under this head." Modern Science: that is, Logic, Mental and Moral Philosophy 560 branches of the above in which they wish to be examined. will be required for permission to attend this examination. 1870, those A fee of £5 5. The merit of those examined will be estimated by marks according to the above scheme. 6. No Candidate will be allowed any marks in any subject unless he possesses a competent knowledge of the subject. 7. "The examinatfon will be conducted by printed questions, and written answers, and viva voce examination, as may be deemed necessary." 8. The marks obtained by each Candidate will be added up, and the (Twenty) Candidates who have the greatest aggregate number will be entitled to appointments. 9. He who is first on the list will get his choice of the situations vacant and the others in like manner, according to their position on the list. 10. Every selected Candidate will enter on six months' probation; and if satisfactory proofs of his fitness be given by the chief of the department, his certificate will be issued by the Civil Service Commissioners. SECOND CLASS EXAMINATION, The Test Examination will consist of:-1. Handwriting; 2. Orthography 3. Arithmetic. 200 10. Indexing 200 200 Total, 2,600 4. Copying MS. to test accuracy 200 9. Book-keeping 5. Digesting returns into sum maries It is now impossible for a person to go in for one particular office. He must go in for the group of offices in which the vacancies actually exist at the time, or become vacant soon after, and take the office falling to his place on the successful list, as above-mentioned. * Persons in the Army or Navy are admitted to compete at a more advanced age. |