§ 40. Mr. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for Air what grade of civilian Air Ministry employees are employed as couriers to carry top secret documents by train.
Mr. WardTop secret documents are not normally sent by train, but where this is unavoidable they are carried by Air Ministry messengers.
§ Mr. de FreitasIs not it a fact that Air Ministry messengers are men of the industrial grade, who have to travel second class? Would not it be a good idea for the Ministry to follow the example of the War Office and upgrade these men and allow them to travel in better conditions?
Mr. WardThese men belong to a non-industrial grade, and no cases are on record in the past ten years of top secret documents being lost by the messenger service.
§ Mr. de FreitasThat is not the point. Is it not a fact that in the ordinary course of duty messengers who are paid and graded as industrial have to carry top secret documents when, in the other Services, similar men are given the status, pay and conditions of non-industrial grades?
§ Captain PilkingtonIs second class less respectable than first class?
§ Mr. de FreitasIs the Secretary of State aware that that is a most nonsensical remark? This has nothing to do with whether first class is more respectable or not; it is merely the fact that first class carriages are usually less crowded than second class carriages, and if men are dealing with top secret documents it is right that they should have that status.