§ Lord C. BERESFORDasked whether a new rank of superintending sister has been instituted; what is the total number of sisters in the Naval Medical Service; whether seven sisters have been promoted 852 over the heads of their seniors; what is the seniority of the four superintending sisters appointed to the home hospitals and also the three superintending sisters appointed abroad; whether, out of the seven superitneding sisters selected, four have done no foreign service and the other three have not yet completed a first commission abroad; and whether there is any reason to believe that a selection of this character will create a sense of unfairness amongst the sisters of the Naval Medical Service?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe total number of sisters in Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service is seventy, inclusive of three head sisters and seven newly appointed superintending sisters. The superintending sisters had seniority in the rank of sister as from 1st February, 1905, 1st June, 1905, 1st May, 1906, 23rd December, 1908, 2nd January, 1909, 11th January, 1909, and 18th January, 1909, respectively; four of them have not yet served abroad, and the other three had not completed a normal term of foreign service at the date of their promotion. As a result of the most careful consideration, the Board found it necessary, in making these promotions, to pass over a number of sisters who, although qualified to perform their present duties satisfactorily, were not fitted for the discharge of the more important administrative duties devolving on a superintending sister.