§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the aeroplane stations in the Orkney and Shetland Islands are being demobilised; and whether at the same time fresh huts are still being built?
§ Major-General SEELYAs I indicated in my answer to my hon. Friend's question No. 105, the air stations in the Orkneys and Shetland have been or are being closed down, with the exception of two. No new huts are being built, but at one of the stations to be retained wooden huts from other stations in the Orkneys and three small aeroplane sheds are being re-erected.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many air stations there are or have been in the Orkney and Shetland Islands; and what was and is the personnel of those stations?
§ Major-General SEELYThe answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's question488W is three, one of which is being closed down as speedily as possible; to the second, eight; to the third, 292 officers and 1,836 airmen; to the fourth, twenty-one officers and 305 airmen. As soon as all valuable stores have been evacuated the two stations which are being retained will be placed in charge of care and maintenance parties, except during the months when the Fleet is exercising, at which times the personnel will be temporarily increased.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what has been the total expenditure during the War on flying in. the Orkney and Shetland Llands; whether quite recently numerous masses of stores were left lying out in the open; and whether any estimate can be given of the cost per hour of flying at those stations?
§ Major-General SEELYI regret that it is not possible, without an unjustifiable expenditure of labour, to give my hon. Friend the information he asks for in the first and last parts of this question. In regard to the second part, my information is that no large quantities of stores have been left in the open, but I am having further inquiry made on the point.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether an inquiry has recently been made in regard to the deficiencies discovered when closing sonic of the air stations in the Orkney and Shetland Islands; and what is the result of such inquiry?
§ Major-General SEELYA Court of Inquiry was held in the spring of this year into the causes for deficiencies in the stores of the Shetland Wing. The Court found that, owing to the difficulties experienced in the administration of these outlying stations, the system of storekeeping was in certain instances imperfect, with the result that the book and actual stocks did not agree, both deficiencies and surpluses being shown. The amount of the deficiency was about £1,000.