§ 19. Mr. PRINGLEasked the Minister of National Service whether new instructions have yet been issued to medical boards with reference to the grading of men from forty-three to fifty-one years of age?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of NATIONAL SERVICE (Mr. Beck)No instructions have yet been issued. My right hon. Friend is answering a Private Notice question on this subject this afternoon.
§ Mr. PRINGLECan the hon. Gentleman tell me why an answer cannot be given to a question which has been on the Paper for some days?
§ Mr. BECKAs my hon. Friend is aware, a conference has been taking place upstairs in accordance with the agreement entered into in this House, and it was thought a convenient method to have the Deputy-Chairman of Ways and Means ask a question of my right hon. Friend, who will give a reply.
§ Mr. PRINGLEOn a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. Is it customary to allow a Private Notice question on a subject upon which a question is already on the Paper?
Mr. SPEAKERIf the information given in reply to the question upon the Paper is insufficient, it may be desirable to ask for further information. I do not know why a full answer was not given to this question.
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs it not the custom to disallow a Private Notice question except on a matter which is urgent and which has arisen at a time at which notice would not be given; and, if notice has been given, as in this case, ought not the Private Notice question to be disallowed?
§ Mr. BECKMay I explain that the reason why this course was adopted was that an answer to this question in its present form would be very incomplete, and it was thought that it would be more convenient for the House to have a complete answer given, so as to announce to the House the decision arrived at by the conference upstairs, over which the President of the Local Government Board presided, and at which the chairmen of tribunals were present.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODWould it not be more usual for the hon. Gentleman to have communicated that to my hon. Friend (Mr. Pringle), and to have asked him to withdraw his question in view of this Private Notice question; and, as this was not done, is not this step most irregular?
§ 23. Sir CHARLES HENRYasked the Minister of National Service whether, of those who are within the new age limit as provided by the Military Service Act, 1918, who were medically examined up to 30th June, the percentage passed into Grade 1 and Grade 2 was in excess of or below the percentage that he anticipated when the measure was passed; and, if so, to what extent in percentage?
§ Mr. BECKOf the men medically examined up to the 29th June who were above the former military age, the percentage passed as Grade 1 and Grade 2 was about 12 per cent. less than anticipated. I must again point out to my hon. Friend that these percentages are based on a review at present necessarily incomplete and are liable to be misleading.
§ 21. Mr. BRUNNERasked the Minister of National Service whether he is aware that certain men in uniform who give the day's pay to men who have been examined for medical grading at Conduit Street volunteer false information as the men leave by asserting that there is nothing further to be done until the men receive their calling-up notice; and will he say what action he proposes to take to stop this practice?
§ Mr. BECKNo, Sir; I am not aware that any information of the kind mentioned by my hon. Friend is volunteered by the pay officials at Conduit Street. It would be entirely outside their duty to do so, and, in order to prevent any possibility of misunderstanding, instructions have been issued forbidding them to answer any questions and directing them to refer all inquirers to their local National Service official, from whom all information can be obtained. I may add that there are also in attendance at the Board responsible officials who, if desired, will always advise examinees as to their military position; and posters are now conspicuously displayed explaining tribunal rights.
41. Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALLasked the President of the Local Government 16 Board the grounds on which medical boards are requiring a less exacting standard of physical fitness in regard to men aged between forty-one and fifty years who are passed Grade 1 than in regard to men under forty-one; and if, as in the majority of cases, the calling up of the older men for military duties is likely to result in greater dislocation of business and family interests and less corresponding military benefit than in the case of the younger men, he will immediately have full inquiry made into the matter?
§ Mr. BECKMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. I am unable to agree with the suggestion contained in the question of my hon. and gallant Friend. As has been explained in the House of Commons, the principle of medical grading is uniform for men of all ages.
Sir F. HALLMen of forty having been passed into Grade 1, will the same medical standard be for men of fifty?
§ Mr. BECKI do not think I had better deal with this question at this moment. There has been a very full discussion on it, and if the hon. and gallant Gentleman will refer to the Debate he will find that this question was argued at length.
Sir F. HALLWill the hon. Gentleman take notice of the question? Is he aware of the great discontent that exists amongst many men of from forty-five to fifty, that, although they were not able to pass Grade 1 or 2 before they are now passed Grade 1? I want to know if there is any difference in the medical category.
§ Mr. BECKI think the hon. Gentleman had better wait until the Minister of National Service has made his statement after questions.
§ Sir DONALD MACLEAN(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of National Service whether he can make any statement relative to the conference which took place between him and other Members of the House and the Chairman of Tribunals with regard to the Military Service Act?
§ The MINISTER of NATIONAL SERVICE (Sir A. Geddes)Conferences have been held, with the President of the Local Government Board in the chair, between the Minister of National Service, Chairmen of Tribunals, and other Members of Parliament, with the following result:
It was agreed that the following classifications should be introduced for men of 17 the new military age with regard to their fitness for military service. In future men of these ages passed by medical boards as fit for Grade 1 will be classified as Grade 1 (B1). Similarly, men of these ages passed as fit for Grade 2 will be classified-Grade 2 (B2), and those passed as fit for Grade 3 will be classified as Grade 3 (B3). These classifications will be distinctly marked on the grading cards.
Instructions will be immediately issued by the Local Government Board to tribunals that, in considering the relative military value of Grade 1 (B1), they must assume these men are "not fit to be trained for first-line Infantry," and that in considering the relative military value of men in the new classifications, Grade 2 (B2) and Grade 2 (B3), they must assume that they are of substantially less military value than men under the previous Military Service Acts who were placed in Grade 2 or Grade 3 respectively.
Instructions will be given to each National Service representative that if and when requested by a tribunal he shall state whether a man placed in Grade 3 has been found by the medical board to be fit only for sedentary work.
Certain other points were discussed. The Minister of National Service informed the conference that he had already issued instructions that no notice calling up a man of the new ages for service was to give shorter notice than fourteen days nor was it to be issued until ten days after the date upon which the man was due to report for medical examination. He further informed the conference that he had instructed all directors of National Service to see that the unauthorised use of books which recruits were asked to sign at medical boards, stating that they were satisfied with their examination, was to be discontinued, and that he had prohibited the adoption of any practice of this nature.
It was agreed that greater publicity should be given to the opportunity of every man to apply for a second examination by a National Service medical board if he were dissatisfied with his first examination, and, further, that attention should be drawn by means of a printed intimation enclosed with the notice to report himself for medical examination of the limit of five days to the time within which he may apply to an Appeal Tribunal for permission to be examined by the appeal medical assessors.
§ Mr. PRINGLEWill the right hon. Gentleman give any of the older men who have already been passed in Grade 1 or 2 fresh cases before the tribunals, although those cases, in view of the decision, are not to come up?
§ Sir A. GEDDESAny case that is put forward will be favourably considered where it can be shown that any misunderstanding has existed in the minds of the tribunals.
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs the change in the arrangements not an indication that the misunderstanding was universal, and, in view of these circumstances, will people who can show that they have been unfairly treated or treated under a misapprehension, have their cases reopened?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI do not think it would be quite easy to say that every case should be reopened, because many of the oases the tribunals might not wish to hear further. But I imagine that in any case in which application is made for a rehearing, the application would be granted.
Mr. A. RICHARDSONMay I ask whether it is not the fact that a man is entitled as a matter of right to obtain a rehearing of his case on the ground that a new and material fact has arisen since the case was last heard, namely, a change in the grading?
§ Sir A. GEDDESHe has a right to apply, but the tribunal may refuse the application.
§ Sir A. GEDDESNo; the number of doctors on the board considered at the conference, and the length of time to be given to the examination?
§ Sir A. GEDDESNo. The number of doctors on the board was not discussed at the conference. I think it was referred to once, but it was not discussed or made an important point.