9The council to whom application for compensation is made may, in their discretion and in consideration of the fact that any officer was appointed to his office as a specially qualified person, or that the officer before his appointment had been employed as a deputy, assistant or clerk by a permanent officer for the purpose of the discharge of his official duties, add any number of years (not exceeding ten) to the number of years which such officer would otherwise be entitled to reckon for the purpose of computing the compensation to which he would be entitled under the Acts and rules relating to Her Majesty's Civil Service as applied by this Act.