Miss Wardasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give an assurance that in the new proposals for the reform of the Foreign Service all office keepers, chancery servants and messengers will, in future, be recruited on an established basis.
§ Mr. George HallThe hon. Member will be aware from Command Paper 6420 on the Reform of the Foreign Service that my right hon. Friend shares her desire to improve the present position in772W which the Foreign Service relies in too great measure on unestablished and non-pensionable staff. He cannot at the present stage of the reforms foresee to what extent it will be possible to replace unestablished staff by pensionable employees, and, in posts abroad where knowledge of the country and language is needed, it will always be necessary to rely to some extent on locally recruited staff. My right hon. Friend's intention, however, is to secure at posts abroad a nucleus of established British servants necessary for efficiency, security and adequate representation and he hopes also to be able to improve the conditions of service of those who cannot be established.
Miss Wardasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the need for having the best possible conditions for the new Foreign Service in order that the highest possible standard shall be maintained, he will give an assurance that this Service will be an entity of its own with conditions appropriate to the services which have to be rendered.
§ Mr. George HallOne of the proposals in Command 6420 on the Reform of the Foreign Service which were approved by this House on 18th March, 1943, was that the Foreign Service should be a self-contained and distinct Service of the Crown. It is the constant endeavour of my right hon. Friend to ensure, with the co-operation of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the conditions of service are appropriate to the work to be done.