HC Deb 02 May 1966 vol 727 cc1226-7
35. Dame Joan Vickers

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will remove the limitations placed on the employment of women in his Department and give them the right to apply for all appointments on the same basis as men.

Mrs. White

Appointments to the Diplomatic Service are made through open competitions, under the auspices of the Civil Service Commission, in which men and women compete on equal terms. There are no general limitations on women. The only appointments reserved for men are in the Security Guard Branch, for which women would not normally apply.

Dame Joan Vickers

I congratulate the hon. Lady on her appointment to the Foreign Office. Can she tell me how many women have held appointments in higher grades is her Department?

Mrs. White

In the Diplomatic Service as a whole about 30 per cent. of appointments are held by women, but in the administrative grade there are only 27, which is about 2.4 per cent. of the total.