LORD LAWRENCEMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government the Question of which I have given Notice— namely:—When the new scheme for Territorial Army Voluntary Aid Detachments will be issued In concrete form; and whether they are aware that the present registered Detachments in a great number of instances exist only on paper, most of the members having resigned, and that this condition is brought about owing to lack of any definite conditions and regulations as to service and qualifications for membership. Are they further aware that the temporary rules already issued are too vague, and that intending members of Voluntary Aid Detachments will not accept them in their present form?
§ VISCOUNT PEELMy Lords, the answer to the Question of the noble Lord is that the Central Joint Voluntary Aid Detachment Committee, which includes representatives of the Territorial Army Associations, the Order of St. John, and the British Red Cross Society, has recently submitted a scheme in outline for the reorganisation of the Voluntary Aid Detachments. This scheme is at present under the active consideration of the Army Council. Every effort is being made to expedite the preparation of the new scheme, but there are still certain important questions of detail to be settled. I need hardly say that the final decisions on the scheme will not be delayed any longer than is essentially necessary. I understand that the War Office have no official information as to the existence of detachments on paper alone, nor as to the resignation of members in larger numbers than would naturally he expected on the termination of a great var. Temporary rules, such as 372 are referred to, must of necessity be unsatisfactory. I hope that the new scheme when issued will remove such difficulties.