§ 71. Mr. Cobbasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what considerations prompted the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to appoint the daughter of an admiral as head of the W.R.N.S. in succession to Dame Vera Laughton Mathews.
§ The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (Mr. John Dugdale)The present Director of W.R.N.S. was selected because she is regarded as the person best qualified to fill the appointment. Perhaps I should say that she has served throughout the war in the W.R.N.S., and since 1943 as Deputy-Director. The fact that the new Director of W.R.N.S. was the daughter of an admiral was not in any way a factor in her selection.
§ Mr. CobbDoes my hon. Friend think that this is a case of equal opportunity for promotion in the Navy?
§ Mr. DugdaleI do not consider parentage. Whether the parent was an admiral, a crossing sweeper or even a criminal, should never be a bar to any person reaching the highest position that can be obtained by his own ability.