§ Sir H. NIELDasked the Minister of National Service what number of men of military age are acting as private secretaries to Ministers or private secretaries to heads of Departments, and, respectively, single or married; and whether he has caused inquiry to be made by the officials of his Department as to what extent these persons are indispensable or how far he can call upon them for military service, having regard to equality of treatment from the point of view of the older men who are about to come within the operation of the Military Service Act, 1918?
§ Mr. BECKThe information asked for by my hon. Friend is not immediately available, and the labour of obtaining it would scarcely be justified in view of the fact that the whole staff of military age in all Government Departments is being reviewed by special Military Service Committees, which are in course of being appointed under a recent decision of the War Cabinet. The cases of private secretaries to Ministers and Heads of Departments will be dealt with, as heretofore, on precisely the same principles as those of other members of the public service.