§ 1. Mr. Purbrickasked the Secretary of State for War how many men, skilled in the work of industries in the production of war material, have been released temporarily from the Army for such work during the months of May, June, July and August and up to date in September, respectively; and how many more are available temporarily?
§ The Secretary of State for War (Captain Margesson)As the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ I regret that figures of the number of skilled men released for the production of war materials are not available, but the total number of men temporarily released from the Army for work of national importance during the months in question was as follows:
| May | … | 789 |
| June | … | 778 |
| July | … | 649 |
| August | … | 630 |
| September | … | 785 |
| Total | … | 3,631 |
§ In addition, 4,652 indefinite releases were sanctioned during this period.
§ As regards the second part of the Question, applications for release must be supported by the Government Department concerned and by the Ministry of Labour and National Service. It is not possible to anticipate future releases, which will depend on the demands of industry and the military situation.