HC Deb 25 March 1942 vol 378 cc1998-9
71. Mr. Riley

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will call the attention of the Government authorities in our African Colonies to the desirability of appointing native nurses, matrons, doctors and civil servants in all Colonial public institutions where natives are available with the necessary qualifications?

Mr. Harold Macmillan

I can assure my hon. Friend that wherever Africans with the necessary qualifications are available they are appointed as nurses, matrons, doctors and civil servants in public institutions in all the African Dependencies. Since this is the declared and accepted policy of the Government, my Noble Friend does not consider that there is any need to redirect the attention of the Governors to this matter at the present time.

Mr. Riley

Did not the hon. Gentleman say in reply to a Question last week that no coloured nurses have been officially appointed, and if that is the case what is the difficulty that stands in the way?

Mr. Macmillan

I said that the policy is to make these appointments wherever possible and wherever there are suitable applicants. That is the well known policy of the Colonial Government, and I see no particular object in calling their attention to that again.

Mr. Sorensen

Is it not a fact that none of these African nurses has been appointed to such a position?