HC Deb 12 June 1947 vol 438 cc1334-5
49. Mr. King

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the continuing reductions in the period of service in the Armed Forces, it is proposed that grants for further education and training will be perpetuated along existing lines.

Mr. Isaacs

Some changes are to be made after 30th September next; but as the detailed statement is long I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the statement:

It has been decided that men who begin their period of national service under the National Service Acts after the 30th September, 1947, will not qualify for grants for full-time courses of training for which awards are administered by the Education and Agricultural Departments. Financial assistance in the form of scholarships and bursaries is available from public educational funds to enable suitably qualified persons to attend universities, technical colleges, agricultural colleges, etc. There will be a number of men in process of being called up on 30th September who cannot be enlisted by that date because of unavoidable delays in procedure and whom it would be unfair to exclude from eligibility on that account. Those men whose applications for deferment (in order to enable them to begin or continue courses of higher education in the autumn of 1947) are not decided by the University Joint Recruiting Boards in time to permit of the completion of medical examination and other preliminaries to enlistment by 30th September will not on that account be regarded as ineligible for an award on the completion of their service with the Forces.

Awards for training which are at present administered by the Ministry of Labour and National Service, and for which comparable financial provision is not available, will continue to be made by that Ministry to those called up before 1st January, 1949, subject to the following restrictions:—

  1. (a) awards will not be granted to applicants who could have obtained deferment of their calling up to enable them to complete their courses before begining their national service, and
  2. (b) awards will be granted only to enable applicants to begin or complete courses in respect of which they can show prevention or interruption by their calling up. No award will be made to enable an applicant to change from a part-time to a full-time course.