§ 22. Mr. E. Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Air whether the Royal Air Force Station Commander at Wittering has considered a petition signed by over 200 airmen asking for an extension of the welfare services provided by Malcolm Clubs; and what steps have been taken in the matter.
§ The Secretary of State for Air (Mr. George Ward)Mobile canteen services on this station are now being provided by the Malcolm Club and the N.A.A.F.I. in alternate months.
§ Mr. FletcherWould the right hon. Gentleman agree that there is a general feeling among airmen in the United 1154 Kingdom, Germany and elsewhere that the Malcolm Clubs render rather better welfare services than does N.A.A.F.I.? Will he give an assurance that his Department will do everything possible to enable the Malcolm Clubs to maintain and extend the facilities which they provide for airmen?
§ Mr. WardThat is rather a wider question than the one on the Order Paper. Of course, a number of welfare organisations exist already and they are doing excellent work in supplementing the services which N.A.A.F.I. provides. I do not want in the least to under-estimate the work which these welfare organisations do, but I think it would be equally wrong to under-estimate the work which N.A.A.F.I. does.