§ 3. Air-Commodore Harveyasked the Secretary of State for Air how many civilian instructors in the R.A.F. have 894 been declared redundant in the last 12 months; and how the services of these men can be dispensed with at a time when the R.A.F. is short of trained Service personnel, many of whom will now have to be diverted to instructing duties.
§ Mr. A. HendersonThe number is 192. Since these men are surplus to requirements in their trades they will not be replaced by trained Service personnel.
§ Air-Commodore HarveyIs the Minister satisfied that he is taking the correct action in getting rid of these men, who are most experienced and who have got their homes near the airfields? Surely, he could make good use of them when we are short of recruits?
§ Mr. HendersonAll these men belong to two trades—fitters and armourers—and it is in these trades that we have a surplus of trained and experienced noncommissioned officers. It would simply be a case of not making use of their services if we were to retain them.
§ Mr. WardIf that is so, will the Minister say why it is that armourers are not allowed to buy themselves out of the Air Force today on the ground that they are supposed to be in short supply?
§ Mr. HendersonI think that restriction on the right or privilege of purchasing discharge from the Service is not confined to any one particular trade but that, in recent months, by reason of the requirements of the air lift, the privilege has been restricted throughout the Service.
§ Mr. WardIf armourers are not allowed to buy themselves out, will the Minister explain why the Air Force are paying off civilian instructors?
§ Mr. HendersonI was not aware that there was a specific restriction on armourers only.
§ 4. Air-Commodore Harveyasked the Secretary of State for Air how many officers, other ranks, and civilians, respectively, are engaged in the technical training of air and ground trades; and what were the proportions between civilian and Service instructors in 1938, 1947 and 1948.
§ Mr. A. HendersonTen officers, 2,137 airmen and 707 civilians are employed on 895 these duties. I regret that records kept in 1938 do not allow the proportion of civilian to Service instructors to be determined; in 1947 it was 1 to 3.1 and in 1948 1 to 2.75.
§ Air-Commodore HarveyWill the Secretary of State say what his policy is in this matter? Is he trying to get more civilians to help, or is he using men in uniform?
§ Mr. HendersonThe answer is that, as regards instructors, Service and civilian, after discussions with the Whitley Council representatives on the other side, it has been agreed that the proportion shall be 60–40, 60 Service, 40 civilian.