HC Deb 04 June 1946 vol 423 cc1818-22

The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:

118. MR. JAMES CALLAGHAN

—To ask the Secretary of State for War, if he is now in a position to make a statement on the reduction of the overseas period to three years; and how soon he hopes to implement his undertaking.

Mr. Lawson

I should like, with your permission, Mr. Sepaker, and the permission of the House, to make a statement in reply to Question 118 which deals with the length of the overseas tour.

It has always been my object to reduce the length of the overseas tour to three years and I am glad to be able to announce that this target will be reached for India and the Far East by a progressive reduction during the period July to September 1946. During the same period the tour in other overseas theatres will be reduced to three years six months the only exceptions being B.A.O.R., Austria and Northern Italy. The B.A.O.R. tour will be reduced to three years nine months and Austria and Northern Italy will remain at three years nine months. These two theatres will however benefit from greatly improved home leave facilities which will bring them into line with B.A.O.R. Details of these changes and of the new leave scheme are contained in a statement which I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Churchill

As the right hon. Gentleman has made a statement in answer to Question 118, will he let us know what is the answer to Question 120?

Mr. Lawson

No, Sir. I am subject to Mr. Speaker in these matters.

Mr. Erroll

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us what the position is to be in regard to outlying detachments of troops in the West Indies, Aden and East Africa?

Mr. Lawson

I cannot say offhand, but I think that some of them come within India and the Far East.

Mr. Erroll

Not the West Indies?

Mr. Nicholson

Is the figure for India based on a fixed number of British troops in India, and can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House what that figure will be at.the end of the year?

Mr. Lawson

I said that by the end of September the figure will be three years.

Mr. Nicholson

The right hon. Gentleman has misunderstood my question. The figure for which I asked was the number of British troops in India.

Mr. Lawson

I cannot say.

Major Legge-Bourke

Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that as much attention will be paid to arranging for wives to join their husbands who are serving with B.A.O.R. as is being paid to getting home leave for people in B.A.O.R.?

Following is the statement:

PYTHON.

It will be remembered that on 14th March, 1946, I announced that a reduction would be effected in the Python tour in the Far East to 3 years 2 months, and in all other theatres except B.A.O.R. to 3 years 9 months. B.A.O.R. was to remain at 4 years. These reductions were to take place during the months April to June inclusive. It is now possible to announce that during the period July to September inclusive, the tour in the Far East will be further reduced to 3 years; the tour in all other theatres except B.A.O.R., Austria and Northern Italy will be reduced to 3 years 6 months; and the tour in B.A.O.R. will be reduced to 3 years 9 months. Austria and Northern Italy remain at 3 years 9 months but, as appears below, are being brought into line with B.A.O.R. as regards leave to this country.

One consequence of this is that men who have completed a Python tour, and who are now eligible for posting only in the United Kingdom or B.A.O.R. will be eligible for posting as well to Austria and Northern Italy. Regular officers and other ranks will not become eligible for worldwide posting until they have completed at least 18 months in these theatres.

LEAVE:

The leave provisions set out below represent a half-way house between the wartime leave and the. leave which will be granted when normal peacetime conditions return. They aim at bringing the leave granted to men in B.A.O.R., Austria and Northern Italy into line with that available to men in this country. Details are as follows:

(a) United Kingdom:

Thirty days a year taken in three periods each of 10 days.

(b) B.A.O.R., France, Austria, Northern Italy (North of the Appenines):

Thirty-eight days a year taken in two periods, eligible after four months' continuous service overseas or four months from date of return from last privilege leave or L.I.A.P. subject to a man having not less than six weeks' useful service outstanding on return from leave.

(c) Southern Italy, Malta. Gibraltar, M.E.F. (including Greece), East Africa:

Thirty days once during the overseas tour: eligible after 12 months' service overseas, subject to a man having not less than four months' useful service outstanding on return from leave.

No change will be made as regards other theatres.

Leave as above may be taken in countries other than the United Kingdom and free travel will be admissible within the cost of the return fare to the United Kingdom from the Overseas Command concerned.

Troops in France, Austria and Northern Italy will in future only be eligible for leave in lieu of Python (L.I.L.O.P.) on the same terms as now apply in B.A.O.R. viz. 42 days as against 61 days for troops in other theatres.

Embarkation leave will be seven days for B.A.O.R., and C.M.F., and 14 days for other overseas theatres except where a man is posted overseas having just completed an overseas tour. In this case he will get, as at present, six weeks' leave in this country.

Disembarkation leave will be on a sliding scale according to the total leave taken in the United Kingdom, in the course of the overseas tour, as follows:

Leave taken in United Kingdom Scale of Disembarkation Leave.
Under 30 days … … 28 days
30–59 days … … 21 days
Over 59 days … … 14 days

This is subject, however, to the proviso that no individual who has been overseas for less than a year will be granted more than 14 days' disembarkation leave.

Nothing in this paragraph affects the rule stated above that a man posted over- seas having just completed an overseas tour will get six weeks' leave in this country.

Rules for local leave in overseas commands remain as before. Leave on short pass in this country, which hitherto has been limited to 48 hours every three months, may in future be granted, at the discretion of Commanding Officers, as frequently as the men can be spared, but it will not be accumulated or added to privilege leave.

These new leave provisions will come into force on 1st July, 1946. The relevant instruction, which will give full details, will be issued shortly.