§ 3 and 4. Mr. Doddsasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air (1) if he will arrange for an investigation into the misuse of aircraftmen, details of which have been supplied by the hon. Member for Erith and Crayford;
(2) what progress has been made by the Criminal Investigation Branch of the Royal Air Force into the irregular use of materials and aircraftmen from the Royal Air Force Station, Lichfield.
Mr. WardA report on certain of the matters referred to by the hon. Member in his letter is now being considered by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command. I am having inquiries made into the other allegations. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the investigation is complete.
§ Mr. DoddsCan the Minister state how long he expects this investigation will take? Further, in view of the offer that I have made to supply more information and evidence, is the hon. Gentleman going to take advantage of that offer?
Mr. WardOn the first point, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that there will be no avoidable delay. On the second point, I shall bear in mind his offer when we are conducting our investigations.
§ Brigadier Prior-PalmerWill the hon. Gentleman consider instituting an inquiry into the employment of part-time National Service men in the Royal Air Force, and may I please have an answer to the letter which I wrote several weeks ago disclosing the most appalling waste of time?
Mr. WardI apologise if the reply to my hon. and gallant Friend's letter has been unduly delayed. I will certainly look into the matter and see what the position is. I can assure him that we are constantly examining any cases that may be brought to our notice of misuse of manpower in the Royal Air Force.