§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence which tasks in each of the Armed Forces are now considered suitable to be undertaken by men only and by women only; and if he will give examples of the application of this policy in practice.
§ Mr. HayhoeMany trades in the Armed Forces are reserved for men because they involve combat either directly or as a secondary role. Examples of the secondary role are certain categories of Royal Air Force technical staff where only men serve because they could be required to operate very close to the front line. Women do not serve on board warships in any capacity. Other posts688W limited to men require previous experience in a combat role whereas others are reserved in order to preserve a reasonable career structure; the Royal Navy for instance needs to balance service at sea with shore jobs. In the case of a few jobs, such as Royal Air Force firemen, it would not be cost effective to provide the necessary facilities for the very few women who might meet the particularly demanding physical requirements.
On the other hand, in all three Services there are a number of trades open specifically to women. In the Royal Navy a number of purely shore-based trades, such as motor transport drivers and telephonists, are reserved for women. In the Army posts open only to women include kennel maids and welfare assistants and in the Royal Air Force typists. In other cases men and women do broadly similar work in different trades; female switchboard operators in the Army, for example, do not have the additional training and combat role that apply to their male equivalents. We recognise that we need to make full use of both sexes and we are continuing to look for ways to improve the position.
§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made in practices in the Armed Services to reduce discrimination in the public service in harmony with the spirit of equal opportunities and sex equality legislation.
§ Mr. HayhoeAlthough the Armed Forces are exempt from the Sex Discrimination Act, our policy is to treat men and women equally except where there are good reasons for doing otherwise. In furtherance of this policy, conditions of service for women have been brought more closely into line with those for men; for example married Service women are now entitled to married quarters and a range of associated allowances in their own right. In recent years a number of additional trades have been opened to women, including among others air mechanicians and air traffic controllers in the Royal Navy, terminal equipment technicians and other technical employments in the Army, direct entry technicians and various radio operating trades in the Royal Air Force. Improved opportunities are also now being offered to male nurses.