§ 38. Captain D. HALLasked the Secretary to the Admiralty if he can state the number of civilian clerks out of Government offices who have ben enlisted since the beginning of the year and are now employed as clerks in naval offices; and if he will explain why these clerks are compulsorily enlisted and removed from work the details of which they are thoroughly conversant with and placed to perform entirely new office work in the Navy about which they know nothing?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)I have no information as to how many men, entered since the beginning of the year, and now employed in naval offices, were, prior to enlistment, serving in Government offices. The total number of writers enlisted since the beginning of the year is very small—between seventy and eighty As regards the second part of the question, the Admiralty share my hon. and gallant Friend's view that it is generally a wasteful process to remove trained Civil servants from the Government Departments merely in order to employ them on clerical work, either in naval or military offices. In releasing members of their own staff under the Military Service Acts the Admiralty have done everything in their power to ensure that these shall be employed on bonâ-fide combatant duties.