HC Deb 23 June 1971 vol 819 cc1426-7
36. Miss Fookes

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will take steps to ease the conditions of entry for candidates entering the diplomatic service and the Department of the Environment by waiving entirely the requirement that both parents of a candidate must always be, or, if dead, always have been, British subjects.

Mr David Howell

This requirement no longer applies to any posts in the Department of the Environment.

As regards the Diplomatic Service, the requirement is not in practice an absolute one. A candidate may be admitted to the Diplomatic Service by special permission of the Secretary of State provided that one of his parents has always been a British subject, that his father is, or was at death, a British subject, and that the candidate satisfactorily fulfils the other conditions of the Diplomatic Service nationality rule.

Miss Fookes

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. May I point out that one of my very able young constituents was so discouraged by this so-called escape clause, which my hon. Friend mentioned, that he gave up all idea of entering the Civil Service?

Mr. Howell

I do not know about the general point which my hon. Friend makes. If she has a particular case in mind, I should be delighted if she would write to me and I will certainly look into it.