HC Deb 18 May 1949 vol 465 c419
37. Air-Commodore Harvey

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation why the three air Corporations are to be allowed to carry out their own testing of pilots for the instrument rating on pilots' licences, when other companies have been refused this concession.

Mr. Lindgren

This has been arranged as an interim measure of practical expediency in view of the number of pilots requiring to be tested. The question whether the arrangements should continue, or be extended to other operators, is now under consideration.

Air-Commodore Harvey

As the time in which these pilots have to undertake their examination is getting short, will not the Minister discriminate between the Government Corporations and other companies which are able to carry out these tests and treat each case on its merits?

Mr. Lindgren

There is a period of 12 months for the examination to take place. There are 2,000 pilots to be examined. One thousand of those are in the Corporations and have been delegated. The other thousand can quite conveniently be taken within the Ministry's organisation provided that they are not all crammed into the last few months.