HC Deb 26 June 1961 vol 643 cc63-4
Mr. Cronin

I beg to move, in page 13, line 36, to leave out subsection (2).

Would it be convenient, Dr. King, to discuss with this Amendment the following Amendment, to leave out subsection (3)?

The Temporary Chairman (Dr. Horace King)

I see no reason why we should not.

Mr. Cronin

We on this side of the Committee have no objection to subsection (2) or to subsection (3), but we feel that these transitional provisions are extremely important, and, as the language of the subsections is somewhat complex, I should be grateful if the Under-Secretary of State would give us an explanation which would perhaps make it clearer to us.

Mr. W. J. Taylor

These Amendments are in effect drafting Amendments. The Clause is intended to clarify the position of the existing airmen, that is the airman already serving when the new Act comes into force. In general, it provides for the terms of service of existing airmen to remain unaffected, although there may be some changes in terminology. Subsection (2) ensures the repeal of Sections 4 to 8 of the 1955 Act. It does not affect the terms of service of airmen already enlisted under that Act. If we left it out, as proposed in the first Amendment, the enlistments would be invalid.

Subsection (3) is concerned only with existing airmen who enlisted after attaining the minimum age for man service, that is 17½, and before they reached the age of 18. The deletion of this subsection, as proposed in the second Amendment, would mean that such airmen would be liable to serve a longer term than they expected on enlistment, because the relevant date from which the term of service would run would be at the age of 18 instead of the date of enlistment. Any change in the meaning of the term "relevant date" would also have an effect on the reckoning of the period of service necessary to qualify the airman to apply to extend his term of service beyond twelve years.

The third Amendment has reference to Clause 10 (4), which it seeks to delete.

The Temporary Chairman

Order. That Amendment has not been selected.

Mr. Taylor

For reasons which are largely technical, as I have explained, we feel that the Committee should not accept the Amendment.

Mr. Cronin

In view of the Under-Secretary of State's lucid explanation, which may have been a little more comprehensible to some of my hon. Friends than to myself, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 16 ordered to stand part of the Bill.