§ Mr. Bishopasked the Prime Minister if he is aware that, despite the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding sex discrimination, many of his Ministers are still appointing a very small percentage of women to public boards; if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that such small numbers are justified on the grounds of the unsuitability and lack of qualification of women to serve; and if he will inquire into the problem with a view to more women being appointed in future.
§ The Prime MinisterI am aware that women are under-represented on some public boards, and we are reviewing the position. The lack of suitably qualified women to serve in certain fields is certainly one relevant factor, and I hope that improvements will flow from the longer-term measures proposed in our consultative document "Equal Opportunities for Men and Women."