§ Sir A. Wilsonasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether women members of the Civil Service are eligible for service with the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service?
§ Captain CrookshankIt is considered that it will be more in the public interest492W that women civil servants should remain in their civil posts than volunteer for service with the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, but for fuller details as to the general position I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I am giving to his other question.
§ Sir A. Wilsonasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what instructions have been issued for the guidance of male and female members of the Civil Service who desire to join any of the voluntary services for which they may be eligible by virtue of their age?
§ Captain CrookshankThe position in this matter must vary somewhat as between Departments and no general instructions have been issued to civil servants. Broadly, the basis on which Departments have been asked to proceed is as follows.
Subject to the retention of the staff necessary to meet the responsibilities which would fall on the Department concerned in an emergency, male civil servants, without regard to age, will on application be given permission to volunteer for service in any of the Territorial and other Auxiliary Services set out in the National Service Guide, and women civil servants will be allowed to volunteer for nursing and first-aid services.
As regards Civil Defence Services, civil servants can frequently render most useful service in connection with air-raid precautions in the office in which they are employed. Civil servants are, however, permitted to enrol for part-time Civil Defence duties, subject to the Department reserving the first claim on their services in war. To a restricted extent they are allowed to volunteer for full-time Civil Defence duties.