§ 61. Mr. ROBERT HUDSONasked the Secretary of State for Air whether any allowances are granted to officers of the Royal Air Force for proficiency in foreign languages; if so, what is the average amount granted to an officer; and how many officers have qualified for receipt thereof?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Major Sir Philip Sassoon)As the answer involves giving a number of figures, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The answer is as follows:
§ The Regulations governing the issue of awards for proficiency in foreign languages to Royal Air Force officers are contained in paragraphs 396 to 416 of the King's Regulations and Air Council Instructions for the Royal Air Force. The amounts of the awards, which depend on the degree of proficiency attained and also, for Arabic and Japanese, on whether the officer is serving at home or abroad, are £12 or £24 for French, £25 or £50 for German, £20 to £120 for Arabic, and up to £250 for Japanese. The number of officers who have qualified for awards are 12 for French, seven for Herman, eight for Arabic, and six for Japanese. Royal Air Force officers in India are eligible for awards under Indian Regulations, and inquiry in regard to these should be made of the India Office.