76. Major Hillsasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what difference the adoption of the principle of aggregation by the Air Ministry will make to the claims of the women now serving in the Department, and whether the higher clerical officers introduced by transference from other Departments are men or women?
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Sir Philip Sassoon)The principle of aggregation is accepted by the Air Ministry, but its application must be related to the special organisation of a Defence Department, and to the opportunities for advancement to higher posts which under this organisation are open to civil servants of both sexes. This is a consideration which cannot be ignored when invitations are issued for officers to transfer from other Departments; and the transference of senior women higher clerical officers would in practice have affected the prospects of the women now serving in the Department (who have only recently come into the zone for promotion to higher clerical officer) to a greater extent than would appear on paper.