§ 1. Mr. Burkeasked the Secretary of State for War if he will inquire into the scheme for local leave in the unit of which he has been informed where men have had only three weeks' leave in four years and where only five men have had leave in the last four months.
§ The Secretary of State for War (Sir James Grigg)Yes, Sir. Inquiries are being made.
§ Mr. BurkeIs the Minister aware that in addition to inadequate home leave, the ratio of home leave per draft, in this unit, is less than 0.2 per cent.?
§ Sir J. GriggThat figure is meaningless, except in relation to a period of time. I tried to point out the other day that home leave is not on a very heavy scale, and cannot be.
§ Sir J. GriggI have dealt with that question over and over again in this House, and I have tried to explain, apparently unsuccessfully, that the fundamental difference between the two schemes is that in one, people have to be 600 replaced, and in the other they have not. That makes all the difference in the world.