§ 48. Major Wyattasked the Prime Minister whether he will give instructions to the service departments that where members of different services are serving in the same theatre there shall be no difference between service and service in the tour of duty that has to be served in that theatre before repatriation.
§ The Lord President of the Council (Mr. H. Morrison)The length of the overseas tour is dependent upon a number of factors, the most important of which are the total strength to be retained in the command, the extent of its losses under the release scheme, the availability of suitable replacements in the United Kingdom and the supply and frequency of transport. The effect of the relevant leave scheme on the effective strength of the command is also a factor. In the case of the Royal Navy the need for the periodical return home of ships for major refitting affects the position materially and is in fact the dominating factor. In the circumstances it would not be possible to arrange iden- 2110 tical tours for all overseas commands, or for all three Services in any particular command, without lowering the standards now existing in some cases. The present system aims at giving the best terms possible in fluctuating circumstances and I am satisfied that any attempt at rigid standardisation would, on balance, result in disadvantage.