§ Colonel VAUGHAN-MORGANasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that two non-service publicity officers are being retained in his Department contrary to the recommendations of the Lytton Report; and whether, seeing that one of these officers had no experience of Press work before being attached to the War Office, he will consider the substitution of these officers by duly-qualified ex-service men who would be, unlike the present holders of the posts, members of the National Union of Journalists?
§ Mr. WALSHThese officers are being retained in the public interest in accordance with the discretion recognised as necessary in paragraph 9 of the Third Report of the Lytton Committee. I am not aware that any ex-service man possesses in the same degree the requisite qualifications for this work, for which the experience acquired by the present holders in the course of the discharge of their duties is very necessary. In all the circumstances, I do not consider it would be in the public interest to substitute these officers by others.