§ 31. Mr. Malcolm MacPhersonasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air to what extent the educational services in the Royal Air Force depend on university graduates in mathematics and science, serving either as National Service men or on short-term commissions.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Mr. George Ward)Of the 492 graduates in these subjects in the Royal Air Force education branch, 87 are serving on National Service commissions and 239 on short service commissions.
§ Mr. MacPhersonIs the Under-Secretary aware that proposals have been made in recent years to exempt from National Service such of these graduates who intend to enter the teaching profession, and does he realise that it would help if he and his Service colleagues gave rather more information than has so far 182 been available about the use made of these graduates in the Services?
§ Mr. WardThe question of whether or not graduates are called up for National Service is not for me; it is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Labour. Certainly we welcome as many of these graduates as we can get for the education branch of the Royal Air Force.