§ Mr. Caryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the percentage of places that wall be allocated to ex-Navy, Army and R.A.F. candidates when permanent recruitment for the Foreign Service is opened.
§ Mr. George HallIn his statement on post-war recruitment for the Civil Service on 17th February my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that any arrangements made for recruitment to the Civil Service immediately after the war should ensure that generous treatment is given to suitable candidates from the Forces. The same principle applies to recruitment in the post-war period for the Foreign Service, but as arrangements for such recruitment have not yet been completed, I cannot yet state the percentage of vacancies that will be allocated to ex-Service candidates.
§ Mr. Caryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has been made with the compilation of a combined seniority list of the permanent members of the Foreign Office, Diplomatic and Consular services, as an essential step toward the reorganisation of the Foreign Service.
§ Mr. George HallIt is not considered necessary or even desirable to compile a combined seniority list of existing members of the Foreign Service, if only because, for the reasons explained in paragraph 6 of Command 6420, it is impracticable that posts in the three branches of the Service should at once become completely interchangeable. In making appointments in the combined Service it is my right hon. Friend's intention to select the men who are most suitable for the posts in question without regard to the branch of the Service in which they have hitherto served. A combined seniority list will come into existence when recruitment to the combined Service begins after the war.