§ 27. Mrs. Castleasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will arrange for members of the R.N. and R.M., who, because they were serving overseas, did not receive special leave in celebration of V.E. and V.J. Days, to have two days in lieu added to their foreign service leave on demobilisation.
§ Mr. AlexanderThe leave granted to members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines on their return to this country is generally determined by the length of their service abroad, and does not take into consideration any leave which they may have received whilst abroad; nor does it take account of any leave which other members of the Royal Navy or Royal Marines may have received whilst serving at home. Commands abroad were given discretion to grant V.E. and V.J. leave locally, and the period during which this leave could be granted was extended to 1138 two months from V.E. Day and three months from V.J. Day. I do not consider that this exceptional provision should be further extended.
§ Mrs. CastleDoes not my right hon. Friend think, in view of the fact that these men made their contribution to the victory which we were celebrating on these days, they should not be excluded by an arbitrary ruling from their share in these celebrations?
§ Mr. AlexanderThey certainly are not excluded. They have many opportunities for leave while they are abroad, and their opportunities for foreign service leave at home are not being reduced in any way by their local leave abroad.
§ Mrs. CastleIs my right hon. Friend aware that I have already brought to his attention a case in which local leave was not given, and that leave in lieu on return to this country would have been given if the date which he had fixed had not expired? Will my right hon. Friend reconsider cases of that kind?
§ Mr. AlexanderIt is almost impossible to deal with the tremendous number of cases of this kind with the dwindling and reduced staffs which we have, unless we can give a general rule applicable to all, and this really is broad justice.