HC Deb 26 June 1951 vol 489 cc1162-6
17. Mr. Nabarro

asked the Secretary of State for War at what age Class Z Reserve liability ends; and whether, upon attaining that age limit, a Class Z reservist will unconditionally be released from all further reserve liability.

Mr. Strachey

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 24th April.

Mr. Nabarro

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that that was an entirely different Question? On this occasion I have asked him what is the age limit for liability to recall. He is calling up men up to 45 this year. Does a man remain a Z reservist until he is 60 or 70 or 80? What is the age limit?

Mr. Strachey

I will repeat the answer I gave to the hon. Member on the last occasion. There is at present no statutory limitation on the age at which a member of the Class Z Reserve ceases to have a liability for recall in the event of general mobilisation.

Mr. Nabarro

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider putting on an age limit, since it is quite useless to have old age pensioners as Class Z reservists?

Mr. Strachey

That is an entirely different question. I see no reason to put on such an age limit but, of course, in practice, in the event of another war, men over a certain age would not be called up.

18. Mr. Nabarro

asked the Secretary of State for War whether all 4,000 Class Z reservists over 40 years of age, who have been recalled for training during 1951, are in possession of specialist qualifications; and how far such specialist qualifications are taken into account when allocating individual duties during the 15 days training period.

Mr. Strachey

All reservists recalled for training this year were selected on the grounds of their previous training and experience in the Army to fill definite vacancies in the units concerned. These factors, and in certain circumstances the individual's normal employment, are taken into account when allocating individual duties during the 15 days training period.

Mr. Nabarro

Will the right hon. Gentleman give the House an unequivocal assurance that specialists during the period of their Z Reserve training will only be occupied in those duties for which their particular avocation suits them, and will not be employed in unskilled menial duties such as mess waiters, orderlies and batmen?

Mr. Strachey

I am sure that every commanding officer will use his utmost endeavours to employ the men called up to the best advantage, but if there are cases in which they cannot for some reason or another, such as the breakdown of some piece of equipment, be employed on their specialist duties, then certainly they must be employed on other tasks.

19. Mr. Nabarro

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will state the total number of men currently on the Class Z Reserve; and what proportion of such men, and how many, are over 40 years of age, at the nearest convenient date to 1st June, 1951.

Mr. Strachey

On 1st June, 1951, the strength of the Z Reserve was 2,835,762 other ranks. The latest date for which strengths by age groups are available is 31st August, 1950, and figures for that date were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Llewellyn) on 5th February. These showed that 589,812 reservists, or some 20 per cent. of the total, were over 40 years of age.

Mr. Nabarro

In consideration of the fact that there are some 2,800,000 Z reservists plus all the National Service men trained since the end of the war, a total of over four million men available, why is it still necessary to call up men over the age of 40 years who have no specialist qualifications at all?

Mr. Strachey

As I have already told the House, we called up as it happened, exactly 2 per cent. of reservists over 40 years of age in view of their qualifications and special training which were considered of great use to the corps and units to which they were attached.

Mr. Ian Harvey

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he called up one of my constituents—of which I have given him notice—over this age—a lance-bombadier in Light Anti-Aircraft—and that his Department informed me that this was an important duty? Does he not regard that as rather ridiculous?

20. Mr. Ian Harvey

asked the Secretary of State for War what percentage of the Class Z reservists called-up for service in Middlesex with the Territorial Army are undergoing training with units whose centres are within easy reach of their homes.

27. General Sir George Jeffreys

asked the Secretary of State for War why Class Z reservists called up for training with the Territorial Army have not in very many cases been posted for training to units situated in the districts in which such reservists reside.

Mr. Strachey

It is quite true that it has not been possible in many cases to post Z reservists to units whose centres are within easy reach of their homes. This was only one of the considerations which had to be taken into account in making the call up. Hon. Members will recall that the principle of "last out, first back" has, for example, been strongly urged, and was in fact taken into account.

Again the suitability of the particular reservist for the particular vacancy was perhaps the primary consideration. In fact, no one factor could become of overriding importance. I regret that the information requested by the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Ian Harvey), is not readily available.

Mr. Harvey

Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that if he is to avoid the Z Reserve call-up again he has to build up not only the Regular Army but the Territorial Army, and that if he calls up people who cannot subsequently join the units concerned as Territorials half the purpose of the call-up is wasted?

Mr. Strachey

No, Sir. I appreciate the point the hon. Member is making, but of course there is nothing to prevent a Z reservist who is called up this year to a unit some distance from his home joining a Territorial unit near his home.

Sir G. Jeffreys

Is not this system absolutely contrary to the whole principle on which the Territorial Army has hitherto been raised and maintained, and also entirely contrary to the practice which has prevailed in the past? Moreover, does the right hon. Gentleman not agree that it is positively detrimental to territorial and local efficiency?

Mr. Strachey

Certainly, Sir. I readily admit that the Z Reserve call-up is a stopgap measure, and it was announced as such, to fill the gap before the outflow of National Service men had filled up the Territorial units; and, of course, that will be done on a far more territorial basis.

Mr. Low

If there is nothing to prevent a man who has been called up to a unit far from his place of residence volunteering for a unit nearer to where he lives on a T.A. basis, what is there to prevent the man going to the unit near his home and saying: "May I come with you to camp as a Class Z man?" Would not that be much better than the present position?

Mr. Strachey

I do not really think that that could be done.

Mr. Low

Why not?

Mr. Strachey

Because, after all, he must be called up for the particular unit in which there is a vacancy. But when he joins a Territorial unit on a voluntary basis, that is an arrangement over a period of years and he can be retrained for a new purpose in that time.

30. Mr. Janner

asked the Secretary of State for War what proportion of Class Z reservists recalled for training have been rejected as medically unfit.

Mr. Strachey

The medical examination of the reservists warned for training is still in progress and it is not yet possible to state accurately what proportion have been found unfit for training. From the figures so far available, however, it appears that the number will be some 15 per cent. to 20 per cent. Many of the reservists who are found unfit for training this year would, in fact, be fit for service in units requiring men of a lower medical category.