§ 84. Mr. T. DAVIESasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the number of men of military age who are employed as secretaries or clerks to the War Cabinet; and whether he will give their names and salaries, also the names and salaries of personal secretaries of each member of the War Cabinet who are of military age?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe answer to the first part of the question is eighteen, of whom nine are fit for general service. Of these nine, six are officers on the Active List who have been lent to the War Cabinet Secretariat for special duties. The decision whether Government servants should remain in their present employment or be called up for military service rests in these, as in other cases, with the Minister of National Service, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by giving the information asked for in the second part of the question. As the gentlemen referred to are retained in their positions in many cases much against their own wishes, nothing, I think, would be more unfair than to publish their names.
§ Mr. HOGGEIn view of the fact that there are these men in this Department, and in other Departments, will the Government give over recalling, under the Review of Exemptions Act, disabled men who have already served, until some of these other men have served once?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe hon. Gentleman ignores the whole question. These men are kept, not by reason of any favour to them, but because it is thought that they will be more useful where they are. [HON. MEMBERS " Question ! " and " Tell that to the Marines!"] I may add that the 1365 scarcity of experienced Civil servants is so great that the Departments are now pressing the War Office to return some of them.
§ Mr. PRINGLECan the Prime Minister not get a secretary capable of running the Press who is over military age?