§ SIR W. J. COLLINS (St. Pancras, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Embassy at Tokio is a public institution within the meaning of the Medical Acts; whether a medical officer appointed to the Embassy ought to be a legally qualified medical practitioner; whether on the occasion of the last appointment to this office the vacancy was advertised or otherwise made known in Japan or in this country; and whether the gentleman now occupying the position of medical officer to the British Embassy at Tokio holds any medical qualification entitling him to act as a legally qualified medical man on British territory or to practise in Japan.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (SIR EDWARD GREY, Northumberland, Berwick)As 485 regards the first, second, and last parts of the Question I am not prepared to make any statement involving an interpretation of the meaning of any portion of the Medical Acts, but would refer the hon. Member to the last sentence of my reply to him on 14th May†. In regard to the third part, I may say that no advertisement was issued in the Press, but his Majesty's Ambassador reported at the time that he had made numerous inquiries in Great Britain as well as in Japan, without, however, finding a suitable British candidate.