HC Deb 13 May 1953 vol 515 cc1236-9
29. Mr. C. Hughes

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air how many National Service men, desiring to enter the Royal Air Force during the 12 months ended 30th April, 1953, were accepted for service; and how many were rejected.

Mr. Ward

In this period 33, 264 young men who wished to do their National Service in the Royal Air Force were accepted for the statutory period of two years, and 45, 431 were rejected, about one-third of them on medical grounds.

Mr. Hughes

Is the Minister aware that this is a startling number of rejections? Is he further aware that these rejections are very discouraging to the A.T.C. as an organisation and to the young men concerned, many of whom are members of the A.T.C?

Mr. Ward

I know there are a lot of rejections, but entry into the Royal Air Force for National Service is competitive and far more people want to enter than we can take. We are therefore able to take only the best.

Mr. Shinwell

Will the hon. Member be quite fair to the House over this matter? When 45, 000 men who are called up are rejected by the R.A.F., is there not some other reason for the rejection? Is it not true to say that the R.A.F. generally do not require men for only two years' service and try to persuade them to join up as Regulars, and that when they refuse to do so they are transferred to the Army? Is not that the case?

Mr. Ward

No, it is not. I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that that is not true. As I said, we are entitled to pick only the best when so many boys want to get into the Air Force and we cannot take them all. We have to reject those we do not want.

Mr. Shinwell

Is it not true that this allegation was made: that under the call-up for the three Services the Admiralty want very few, the Army want most and the Royal Air Force want a modicum of the number; and that the R.A.F. do not require such a large number of two-year men but want men to join up as Regulars? Is not that the position?

Mr. Ward

Of course we want men to join as Regulars, if they will join. We welcome them if they will join as Regulars.

Mr. McGovern

Is the Minister fair in this matter? Have I not sent him a case of a man who wanted to enlist for three years, was sent to a camp in England and, because he would not enlist for five years, was put on the road, given no warrant, and compelled to walk home?

Mr. Ward

I find that very hard to believe. Of course there are certain trades in which it takes so long to teach a man that it is not worth teaching him that trade if he stays for only two years, because we do not get any productive service out of him. Certain trades of that sort must therefore be reserved for people who are prepared to stay longer. There is nothing unfair about that.

30. Mr. C. Hughes

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air what conditions National Service men must fulfil, and what qualifications they must possess, before they are accepted into the Royal Air Force for the statutory two-year period of service.

Mr. Ward

There is keen competition among young men to carry out their National Service in the Royal Air Force. We can, therefore, accept only those who on the basis of personal interviews, experience, ability tests and their medical examination appear to us most suitable to fill the vacancies which exist at the time.

Mr. Hughes

Is the Minister aware that my right hon. Friend is perfectly correct when he says that recruiting officers are telling recruits that they must join for three years if they want to join the R.A.F., and that they are persuading them to join for three years? Is he further aware that this causes very great difficulty and embarrassment to these boys of 18, because, when they get back to their homes, they find that their civilian jobs are not open to them after service for three years? Will he make that known to the general public, and also make known what the conditions are, in order to avoid unnecessary travel and the waste of time and money in going to recruiting centres?

Mr. Ward

Recruiting officers do not persuade men to join for three years, but they would obviously be very bad recruiting officers if they did not point out to the men the advantages of doing so. There are many advantages. There are advantages in pay and leave periods, and a wider choice of trades, and many men, having had this pointed out to them, prefer to go in for three years. We have been very careful in every case to ask these people not to give up their civilian jobs until they are certain that they have been enlisted.

Mr. Shinwell

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that recruiting officers have nothing to do with it at all? The men who are called up do not go before recruiting officers. They are called up, and when they are told there is no room for their services in the Air Force, they are asked to join up as Regulars, which the recruiting officer, I agree, has a perfect right to do. If they refuse, are they not told that their only course is to join the Army, which they do not wish to do?

Mr. Ward

Certainly, when they arrive, they are interviewed by a recruiting officer. They also have to pass the ability tests, and, according to the results obtained from the ability tests and as a result of conversation and consideration of their previous experience and so on, we can then tell what trades they are able to do. If they are able to do the trade of their choice, then they are perfectly happy, but, if they are not able to do the trade of their choice, they can either come in for a longer period and do a more interesting trade, or they can say "I am sorry, I only want to come in for two years," when we cannot accept them, and so they have to go into the Army.