§ 17. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why a corporal, of whom details were sent to him on 11th January last, continues to be detained in a mental ward at the Royal Air Force Hospital, Halton, Buckinghamshire; whether the serious charges he made against his former commanding officer while serving in the Canal Zone have yet been investigated; and when he will be released.
Mr. WardThe hon. and gallant Member will by now have received the letter I wrote to him on 7th February about this case.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIs the hon. Gentleman aware that his letter of 7th February is not very satisfactory? Will he arrange either for this constituent to be released forthwith or to be examined by a specialist not connected with the Royal Air Force, because this man has had a very long and exemplary service both during the war and since? Will the hon. Gentleman try to remove the serious sense of injustice felt by this airman?
Mr. WardAs the hon. and gallant Gentleman knows, this airman has already been examined by the senior specialist in neuro-psychiatry at Halton, a specialist in whom I have the greatest possible confidence. I am quite sure that it is in the man's own interests that he should stay where he is for the time being.