§ 65. Mr. MERRIMANasked the Secretary of State for Air why the estimated gross cost of the education of a cadet at Cranwell for the current financial year is £615 as compared with the corresponding figure of £391 for Sandhurst?
§ Sir S. HOAREThe chief reason for the difference is that, while there are over 500 cadets at Sandhurst, there are under 100 at Cranwell, and the distribution of the standing and overhead charges over a smaller number naturally results in a higher per capita cost. Furthermore, the Cranwell cadets receive a higher rate of pay than those at Sandhurst, and the cost of workshop training for them, which comes to over £7,000 a year, is considerably higher. The costing figure of £615 is based on past expenditure. There have recently been reductions in the Cranwell estab- 522 lishment and the figure will probably be less in the coming year. I may add that in view of the technical instruction given at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, this Army Establishment is much more nearly comparable to Cranwell than is Sandhurst. The cost per cadet at Woolwich is £524 per annum, and the difference between this figure and the £615 per cadet for Cranwell is principally due to the fact that the number of cadets at the Royal Military Academy is more than double that at the Royal Air Force Cadet College.
§ Colonel WOODCOCKDoes that £615 include the cost of instruction in flying?
§ Sir S. HOARENo.