§ 88. Mr. WILSON-FOXasked the Minister of National Service whether a single organisation has now been established to recruit women for the Navy, Army, and Air Service; and, if not, whether he will state the reason why this necessary measure of economy has not been carried out?
§ Mr. BECKNegotiations are in active progress with a view to the establishment of common Selection and Medical Boards for the Women's Corps of the Navy, Army and Air Force, and it is hoped to institute them at an early date. The machinery of the Employment Exchange system is already utilised for the recruiting of women for the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Force, Women's Royal Naval Service, Women's Royal Air Force.
§ Mr. WILSON-FOXHas the recruiting for these branches been consolidated, seeing that on the 28th of February last the hon. Gentleman informed me that the whole of these arrangements had been placed under the Ministry of National Service, and apparently only now are they engaged in actively dealing with certain branches of them?
§ Mr. BECKThis form of recruitment of women labour is somewhat new in character, and the negotiations have taken a long time, but I hope that they are now about to be completed.