HC Deb 02 May 1951 vol 487 c1161
17. Mr. Charles Ian Orr-Ewing

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will take steps to remedy the anomalous position whereby an officer of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who has undergone periodic reserve training and has now been recalled for 18 months' duty as a flying instructor, is required to serve in a rank junior to that of another officer, not a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who has done no periodic reserve training since his release, both officers having held the same rank on demobilisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. A. Henderson

As the answer is rather long I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer: While I will, of course, look into any specific case I do not consider that the anomaly to which the hon. Member refers can arise in relation to two officers called up for the same length of service. No officer who has been released from the Service will be recalled for 18 months' duty unless he is a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve or other statutory Reserve. Officers of the Class G Reserve are being recalled in their temporary ranks. Most of them have not got a substantive rank other than pilot officer, in which they were initially commissioned. It is intended to give these officers new substantive ranks if they are recalled on general mobilisation. These ranks would be assessed on the same principles as those which have been applied to the Regular Air Force and to officers of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who have accepted training liabilities. It was, however, intended that when they were recalled in their new substantive ranks they would be eligible for the acting rank of any higher appointment which they may be called upon to fill. There would have been great administrative difficulties in re-assessing the substantive ranks of these officers and granting them acting rank during the course of 15 days' training. It was considered preferable, therefore, that they should be treated in the same way as the airmen and recalled in their temporary rank. The officers have, however, been warned that this arrangement will not apply in the event of general mobilisation when they will be granted substantive ranks on the same principles as those which have been applied to the Regular Air Force. The Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve officers have been granted their substantive ranks on the same principles as have been applied to Regular officers. To recall them in their wartime temporary rank would not be fair to Regular officers, and since the Royal Auxiliary Air Force is already formed in squadrons would have led to anomalies whereby, for example, some of the flight lieutenants in auxiliary squadrons might well have had higher ranks than their commanding officers.