§ Sir H. Lucas-Toothasked the Secretary of State for Air the length of the present tour of service in Iraq and Gibraltar, respectively; and whether any reduction in the total length of overseas tour of service is made in respect of any part of such tour spent at either of these stations.
§ Mr. de FreitasThe Iraq Command is part of the Royal Air Force Mediterranean and Middle East Command, where we are now reducing the tour of duty to 2½ years Not more than two years of this period are spent in Iraq, but service there does not involve any reduction in the total of z\ years overseas. There is a separate arrangement for members of the Royal Air Force at Gibraltar, where the tour is 18 months, after which they return to this country I should perhaps add that, in recent correspondence with an hon. Member, I inadvertently made an incorrect statement about the period of service in Iraq. I have now taken steps to remove the misunderstanding which, I regret, may have been caused among members of the R.A.F. in Iraq.