§ 9. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of considerable discontent among ex-members of the Police War Reserve respecting demobilisation from the military forces in which they are now; and whether he will confer with the Service Ministers, with a view to securing the removal of the injustice arising from the disadvantage suffered through service in the Police War Reserve not being accepted as part of the period of service determining demobilisation.
§ Mr. BevinThe claim that service in the Police War Reserve before enlistment in the Armed Forces should count for priority of release from the Forces has been given most careful consideration. It would, however, be impossible to allow service in the Police War Reserve to count without making a similar concession to the other Civil Defence Services, and, in all probability, to other forms of war service. Moreover, there is a real distinction between service in the Forces and service in the Police War Reserve, and any concession could only be made at the expense of men who have, in fact, served longer in the Armed Forces.