§ 21. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Labour how many men are at present deferred from call-up; and what is the current intake of men whose deferment has expired.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe number of men whose call-up was deferred on 31st March, 1958, the latest date for which information is available, was 403,020. The call-up of men whose deferment had expired averaged about 2,800 a month during April and May, 1958.
§ Mr. LiptonIn view of those rather formidable figures—formidable to the Services but not to those to whom deferment is granted—will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he is not allowing deferment to get so out of hand as to make it necessary for men born in the last quarter of 1939, for example, to be called up? Is this one of the factors which is still keeping those men in a state of suspense?
§ Mr. MacleodNo, Sir; it is not a factor in that. I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a break-down of the 400,000, which is of considerable interest. It includes the indefinite deferments of coal miners, those engaged in agriculture, seamen and so on. Postponements on account of hardship are not included, and that figure is only about 2,000 at present.
§ Following is the information:
| NUMBERS DEFERRED AT 31ST MARCH, 1958 | |
| Apprentices | 133,401 |
| Post-apprenticeship deferment | 4,213 |
| Articled pupils, etc | 34,160 |
| Agricultural workers | 52,796 |
| Coal miners | 76,859 |
| Seamen | 38,292 |
| Fishermen (Royal Naval Reserve Patrol Service). | 1,673 |
| Shale oil miners | 144 |
| Police cadets | 1,550 |
| Teachers and scientific workers | 5,245 |
| Boys at school | 3,081 |
| Students (full-time) | 51,606 |
| 403,020 |