HC Deb 08 August 1940 vol 364 cc452-3W
Captain W. T. Shaw

asked the Home Secretary how many physically-fit men of military age are employed in his Department; and how many are under the age cf 26 years?

Sir J. Anderson

There are in my Department 249 young men who are under 20 and have therefore not yet been required to register for military service. Civil servants in the administrative, executive and clerical grades are at present reserved if over the age of 25. As regards men between 20 and 25 the practice is to release them for service with the Forces, but there are still in the Department 61 men between these ages, of whom some are waiting to be called for duty in the branch of the Armed Forces to which they have been allotted, some are in Grade III, and some are in specialist occupations for which the age of reservation is lower than 25.