§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the steps taken to eliminate discrimination on grounds of 10W sex from those fields of law and administration which are within the control of his Department; and in which matters such steps have not yet been taken.
§ Mr. KershawI am not aware of any such discrimination in those fields of law which fall within the control of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
As regards the administration of the Diplomatic Service, there is no bias against women in appointments to or careers in most of the branches of the Service. 37 per cent. of new entrants to the administrative and executive grades of the Diplomatic Service last year were women. There are, however, a few areas of work such as the guarding of Her Majesty's missions overseas and the conveyance of diplomatic bags, for which men are more suited than women.