Colonel BURNasked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of his statement that the ground of retention of the non-service personal assistant to the Director-General of Supply and Research was that he had been exempted by the Departmental Substitution Committee, and in view of the fact that the ex-service representative who was sitting on that Committee has since definitely stated that such exemption was provisional only as regards substitution from outside, and that genuine ex-service men are at the present moment under notice of discharge in this Department, he will now dispense with the services of this 2127W gentleman and of another also similarly provisionally exempted and cancel the notices of the two technical officers?
Captain GUESTI have recently recently reviewed the two cases to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers, and, although prepared to review them again in a short time, I feel bound at present, in the interests of the Department, to retain them, by the exercise of my discretion under paragraph 9 of the Third Lytton Report. I may add that the cases of the two gentlemen whom he proposes that I should substitute—if I am correct in identifying them—are not very strong from the service point of view, as I shall be happy to explain to him privately if he so desires.