§ 29. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Air how many officers in the Education Branch of the Royal Air Force of the rank of wing commander and above, with scientific and technological qualifications, are now employed at the Air Ministry in positions which had in recent years been filled by arts graduates.
§ Mr. JohnsonIs my hon. Friend quite satisfied that officers are being used in the most useful capacity in the Air Ministry? Is he quite satisfied, for example, that no officers who have expert 376 knowledge of radio and radar teaching are employed on general education duties in the Air Ministry?
Mr. Orr-EwingI think that my hon. Friend would agree that, as the Royal Air Force becomes more and more technical, it is important, particularly in the educational sphere, to have officers who have some knowledge of scientific and technical matters.
§ 30. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Air, in view of the shortage of scientists and technologists, how many officers of the Education Branch, of the rank of wing commander and above, who have scientific or technological qualifications are employed in established posts in which it is essential that they should have these qualifications; and how many officers of the Education Branch of the rank of squadron leader and above who have scientific and technological qualifications are now filling vacancies which could adequately be filled by suitable officers with arts qualifications.
Mr. C. I. Orr-EwingTwenty-seven wing commanders and above and 54 squadron leaders are employed in posts for which technological, as distinct from general scientific, qualifications are essential. To meet the needs of a highly technical Service such as the Royal Air Force it is important that a high proportion of the remaining 114 posts in these ranks should be filled by officers with scientific qualifications. At present forty-one are so filled.
§ Mr. JohnsonDoes my hon. Friend really think it is necessary to employ forty-one highly-skilled officers with scientific and technological qualifications in the Education Branch in posts which were filled perfectly satisfactorily before by arts graduates?
Mr. Orr-EwingI would underline this point. I think that as the Royal Air Force becomes more and more highly technical it is important that there should be people at a high level in the Education Branch who have a deep knowledge of scientific matters.
§ Mr. G. ThomasCan the Minister assure the House that these men with scientific knowledge are required to use that knowledge and are not merely fulfilling arts teaching?
Mr. Orr-EwingThe original Question said "essential," and in my Answer I gave the facts for those posts which we believe essentially require a knowledge of scientific matters.