§ 77. Mr. F. ROBERTSasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will 723 state, approximately, what number and percentage of the temporary officers in the Royal Army Medical Corps have been demobilised; whether the percentage of medical officers set free is equal to that of all ranks; whether the plan of retaining units in existence whilst steadily attenuating in numbers is apt to lead to the retention of an undue proportion of such unit officers as doctors, when the fall of the numbers to be attended to would permit of one doctor serving more than one unit; and whether, in view of the very serious shortage of doctors for the civil population, and especially for the 13,000,000 insured persons, he will consider whether the demobilisation of doctors can be expedited?
Captain GUESTSince the Armistice 1,502 temporary commissioned officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps have been demobilised and returned to civil life. This represents in all theatres of war and in the United Kingdom 13.2 per cent. of the total number employed, and which compares with 15.1 per cent. of all ranks. It follows, of course, that if units could be demobilised as such it might be possible to release more medical officers, but at the same time it should be understood that the work of medical officers is centralised to the greatest possible extent to avoid wastage. Every endeavour is being made to release as many medical officers as possible, but so long as the present system is maintained of demanding early demobilisation of individual officers, the process must be retarded, as in very many cases substitutes have to be provided.