§ 12. Air Commodore A. V. Harveyasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many airmen have signed on for Regular engagement since 1st January, 1951; how many have volunteered for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve since that date; and how these figures compare with the previous year.
§ Mr. BirchBetween 1st January and 31st October, 1951, 30,208 National Service men volunteered for Regular engagements when they registered, or converted to Regular engagements while in the Service. The corresponding figure for 1950 was 10,136.
Between 1st January and 31st October, 1951, 267 National Service men volunteered for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve instead of passing automatically to the Class H Reserve at the end of their full-time service. The figure for the same ten months of 1950 was 39. These figures are not, however, strictly comparable, as the flow of National Service men to the Reserves was interrupted between October, 1950, and April, 1951, by the extension of the period of National Service from eighteen months to two years.
§ Air Commodore HarveyWould my hon. Friend agree that the recruiting of National Service men into the regular Air Force is very satisfactory, but that the number of men joining the Volunteer Reserve is not so good? Will he pay particular attention to methods of attracting boys from the A.T.C. into the Volunteer Reserve when they can join?
§ Mr. BirchI agree with my hon. Friend on both points. Regular recruiting has been satisfactory; recruiting for the Volunteer Force has not been. This is under the most active consideration at the moment, and we are carrying out certain reforms which I hope will help.