§ SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War when the Regular troops on home stations were last medically examined; and if he will pledge himself I that, with the exception of those temporarily incapacitated by sickness, all are first-class shots and physically ready for active service, and that every precaution has been taken to prevent the recurrence of the state of affairs in 1899, when 36½ per cent, of the Regular Army was unable to embark for the field.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNOLD - FORSTEB, Belfast, W)Regular soldiers at home are under constant medical supervision, both by means of the ordinary routine inspection of the medical officer or of special examination for gymnastic courses,
†See (4) Debates, cxlviii, 1121.77 service abroad, extensions of service, etc., or on the orders of commanding officers for the investigation of some defect which may interfere with a man's usefulness as a soldier, I cannot give a pledge that, with the exception of those temporarily incapacitated by sickness, all the men are first-class shots and physically ready for active service; but on mobilisation in 1899 it was found that 3.9 per cent, of the men returned as unable to embark were disqualified on the ground of medical unfitness, while 31.5 per cent, were unfit on account of non-fulfilment of age and service conditions. I consider the proportion of those unfit to embark is too high, and every effort is being made to reduce it, though, of course, there will always be a considerable proportion of men disqualified on account of their being under twenty years of age or insufficiently trained. As regards the musketry qualification, there is no regulation requiring Regular soldiers to be first-class shots as a condition of active service.