§ 23. Sir Irving Alberyasked the Secretary of State for War what procedure is at present followed in allotting vacancies at officer cadet training units?
§ Mr. StanleyThe allotment of vacancies in officer cadet training units is, roughly, as follows:
Pre-war members of the Regular and Territorial Armies—65 per cent.;
Men who were enlisted at reception units with a view to qualifying for commissions—25 per cent.;
Men who have voluntarily enlisted since the outbreak of war, or who have been called up under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, 1939–10 per cent.
There are many more candidates than can be absorbed immediately, and I think that a fair balance is being maintained in the allotment of vacancies between the three groups. Men who were enlisted at reception units are not now sent to officer cadet training units until they have had preliminary training in the ranks of other units and have been recommended by their commanding officers.