HC Deb 11 June 1941 vol 372 cc168-9
6. Mr. Granville

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether there is now any delay in the calling up of volunteers for flying duties with the Royal Air Force?

Sir A. Sinclair

It is essential to maintain a reserve of personnel selected for flying duties in order to ensure an adequate and regulated flow to the training schools. The extent of the reserve necessarily varies from time to time, as it is influenced by such factors as weather and the rate of war wastage. Candidates accepted for air crew duties are in consequence enlisted in advance of the dates at which they are required for training and are placed for a time on deferred service during which they remain in civil life. Alternatively, they may elect to enter the Service forthwith for ground duties and instruction until their turn comes for flying training.

Mr. Granville

Has there not been a number of reports that young men who have volunteered have been kept waiting for a number of months, and can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that this was not due to lack of instruction or training machines, not only here but in the case of preliminary training in the Dominions?

Sir A. Sinclair

There are a great many factors which may make for delay. I referred here to delay on the one hand and to acceleration on the other. There is war wastage, which may at one moment lead to acceleration in appointments, and there is the weather, which, as I told the House frankly in my Estimates speech, led last winter to delay. It is certainly our desire to absorb these recruits as quickly as possible, but they are all volunteers—all men who have joined air crews are volunteers—and we have to take them when they volunteer. We cannot plan their entry into the Service as we can when we are dealing with other classes.

Mr. Granville

Will the right hon. Gentleman give his attention to this matter again, because there is great disappointment among these young men on account of this long delay?

Sir A. Sinclair

I do realise that, and we have the matter constantly under review. We have made an arrangement, to which I have referred, for their training in the interval. Let me add that the Air Training Corps helps in this matter, and we have informed these young men that we hope they will join the Air Training Corps, in which they can get a considerable amount of preparatory training.