§ (1) For the purposes of this Act it shall be lawful for His Majesty, by warrant under his sign manual, to appoint a Board consisting of not less than five and not more than nine members, one of whom shall be a woman, to be called the Highlands and Islands (Medical Service) Board. One of the members of the Board shall be appointed by His Majesty to be chairman of the Board.
§ (2) The Board may act by any four, or if the total number of the Board is six or less, by any three of their number, and notwithstanding any vacancy in their number.
§ (3) The Secretary for Scotland may appoint a secretary to the Board and the Board may, with the consent of the Treasury as to numbers, appoint and employ such officers and servants for the purposes of this Act as they think necessary, and may remove any officer or servant so appointed or employed, and there shall be paid to the secretary, officers, and servants such salaries or remuneration as the Board, or in the case of the secretary, the Secretary for Scotland, with the consent of the Treasury, may determine.
§ (4) The salary of the secretary and the salaries or remuneration of the officers and servants, and any expenses incurred by the Board in the execution of their duties under this Act, to such amount as may be sanctioned by the Treasury, shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament.
§ (5) The Board shall make an annual report of their proceedings to the Secretary for Scotland, and that report shall forthwith be laid before Parliament.
§ Sir A. WILLIAMSONI beg to move, in Sub-section (1), to leave out the words "one of whom shall be a woman," and to insert instead thereof the words "two of whom shall be women."
I believe this matter has been considered by the Government. My object in moving would be to get the Secretary for Scotland to tell us that there may be some women upon this Board. They have done a lot of organising work and district nursing, and I think they should be able to do good work under this Bill.
Mr. McKINNON WOODI think it is desirable to meet this case by appointing representatives of the profession of nurses.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.