§ Mr. McEnteeasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the wife of the Under-Secretary of the Admiralty has been appointed to act in a secretarial capacity to her husband; and whether, as the employment of wives as secretaries to their husbands is not a desirable arrangement, he will have the arrangement referred to brought to an end?
§ Mr. ShakespeareYes, Sir. The lady in question worked at the Admiralty in a similar capacity for two years during the last war and has considerable experience of secretarial work, including five years established service under a Colonial Government. She entered Admiralty service in an unofficial and unpaid capacity before war broke out and she has carried out her duties in an extremely efficient manner. She has recently been officially appointed and is receiving the salary commensurate with her duties.
While I am satisfied that the appointment was justified in the emergency, the question of its continuation is under review.