HC Deb 16 July 1941 vol 373 c576
9. Mr. Liddall

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will say, so far as is not inconsistent with national interests, what is the reason for the frequent long delay between acceptance and call up for Royal Air Force service of young persons, 20 to 30 years of age, for whom there has been a national news paper and poster appeal for a long time as an immediate need?

The Secretary of State for Air (Sir Archibald Sinclair)

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to volunteers for aircrew duties, and I would, therefore, refer him to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Eye (Mr. Granville) on 11th June. In view of the urgent need for aircrews, it is essential at all times to have a reserve of volunteers sufficient to ensure that all training vacancies are filled immediately they occur and that the maximum use is made of all the training facilities available. The amount of training capacity and the number of pupils under instruction are constantly being increased.