§ 20. General Sir George Jeffreysasked the Secretary of State for Air how many non-Regular officers were informed in writing by Department QJ of his Ministry in the first six months of the war that their appointment would be for the duration of hostilities, without any reservation that their services be dispensed with for any cause other than inefficiency or unsatisfactory conduct and in what manner the 203 services of such officers will be dispensed with prior to general demobilisation in the event of the officers declining to accede to the request from the Air Council to tender their resignation.
§ Sir A. SinclairSome 3,000 officers were commissioned in the R.A.F.V.R. during the first six months of the war. The letters of appointment of these and other officers stated that the appointment was for the duration of hostilities. This statement obviously referred to the maximum period of tenure of the commission. The service of all R.A.F. officers is subject to King's Regulations and Air Council Instructions which provide that an officer may be called upon to resign his commission at any time for any reason should the circumstances in the opinion of the Air Council require it, and that if he declines, his commission will be terminated.
§ Sir G. JeffreysIs it not the fact that officers have been requested to resign when their services appeared to become redundant?
§ Sir A. SinclairCertainly, Sir, as I stated in my answer.
§ 21. Sir G. Jeffreysasked the Secretary of State for Air whether an officer who, at the request of the Air Council, has tendered his resignation is entitled to the same period of leave, namely, 56 days, from the date on which he ceases to perform duty, as officers whose services will be dispensed with on general demobilisation; and, if not, what is the period granted.
§ 29. Mr. Lipsonasked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that non-regular officers in the R.A.F., over 50 years of age, who may be compulsorily required to resign their commissions under A.M.O. A.36, dated 18th January, 1945, are concerned that the conditions of retirement therein stated are financially much less favourable than those outlined in the Government's White Paper on Reallocation of Man Power and the Air Ministry's publication "The Next Phase," circulated in September, 1944; and will he take steps to apply the financial terms of the latter to officers compulsorily retired under A.M.O. A.36.
§ Sir A. SinclairAn officer who tenders his resignation at the request of the Air Council on becoming redundant is entitled to 42 days' leave. In addition, he will, in due course, receive a war 204 gratuity and any post-war credit to which he may be entitled. The release benefits outlined in the White Paper and in "The Next Phase" apply only to officers released after the Release Scheme has started to operate and have been drawn up in the light of the circumstances which are likely to prevail at that time.
§ Sir G. JeffreysIs my right hon. Friend going to put these officers who are now requested to resign their commissions on the same footing as other officers in the matter of leave?
§ Sir A. SinclairNo, Sir. As has been explained to the House on behalf of the Government, it has been decided in respect of all three Services that the arrangements for leave to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers will apply only after the conclusion of stage 1 of the war.
§ Mr. LipsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that these officers, who were asked to resign their commissions because of redundancy, feel very strongly that they are getting rather a raw deal in this matter, because under the White Paper they were entitled to 56 days, plus one day for every completed month of foreign service, whereas they now get 42 days; and is there any real reason for this differentiation, as the men do not want to resign?
§ Sir A. SinclairThe reasons have been explained to the House, and it is the policy of the Government that the scheme embodied in "The Next Phase" will only come into operation at the end of the first stage of the war.