§ Mr. R. McNEILLasked the Secretary of State for War if ho is aware that his satisfaction is prevalent among officers and men of Territorial battalions in India on account of the release and repatriation of men who wont out in comparatively recent drafts, while men arc retained who went out earlier with their battalions; whether the policy of the War Office is to relieve Territorial battalions as units or to give preferential release to men of longest ser vice in India and by what date he expects to complete the relief of the original Territorials and of the men who went out in later drafts, respectively?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI think that any dissatisfaction which may exist is due to the temporary suspension of demobilisation in India rather than to the order of release prevailing before demobilisation was suspended. It is proposed to relieve Territorial formations by units, on the arrival of similar formations from the United King dom. The personnel of such units who 1829W joined for service after 1st January, 1916, will be transferred to other units in India, and their places filled by men of non-Territorial units in an order of priority fixed by length of service without detriment to the release of personnel on com passionate grounds. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to my recent Memorandum regarding demobilisation, which was published on 17th July, and in which I stated that it is expected that the Regular troops who are to form the permanent garrison of "India will all be dispatched by the end of this year to relieve the present temporary garrison.