§ 88 and 89. Mr. RENDALLasked the Minister of National Service (1) whether men under the new Military Service Act who had been graded before the recent withdrawal of grading and substitution of classification B1, B2, and B3, and are now before the tribunals, will now be classified instead of graded equally with those of similar ages who are being examined and classified at the present time; (2) whether a man who was graded 2 under the new Military Service Act has now become B2 by classification; whether the classification B2 has hitherto been and still is regarded as equivalent to Grade 3; and, if so, whether it is proposed that part-time members of fire brigades will receive exemption under the conditions if over the age of thirty-five and classified B2?
§ Sir A. GEDDESMy hon. Friend is, I think, under a misapprehension with regard to the effect of the new arrangement. Men of the new military age continue to be graded, but the grades into which they are divided are distinguished from those applicable to their juniors. Tribunals have been informed that men 1224 placed in Grade 1 (B1) are to be regarded as "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 3 (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.
The effect of this may be made clear by example. A man of the old military age in Grade 3 may be fit only for sedentary work at his trade—for example, shoe-making—whereas a labourer of forty-five in Grade 2 (B2) may be perfectly fit for posting to the Labour Corps. In reply to the last part of Question 89, I may add that the grant of administrative protection on the grounds of a man's undertaking part-time work of public importance is determined after careful consideration of the public value of the part-time work, and of the need of the forces for men of the age and grade in question. As to the other points raised, I must refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for the Kirkdale Division of Liverpool on the 15th instant, in which I described the arrangements which had been made to enable men of the new military ages to have their grade cards altered to conform to the new arrangements if necessary and if they so desire.
§ Colonel ASHLEYArising out of the answer of the right hon. Gentleman in reference to his statement about the Grade 3 men who are engaged in shoemaking, would it not be better to leave them in civil employment and get the discharged soldiers to do the work instead of taking them away from their employment.