§ Sir A. V. Harveyasked the Secretary of State for Air what further changes he contemplates in the organisation of the non-operational commands of the Royal Air Force to correspond with the changes in the size and shape of the Service.
Mr. WardWe are making two further changes in the organisation of the non-operational commands.
Firstly, we are abolishing Home Command and its two remaining Group headquarters. The Command was set up in 1950 primarily for the control and training of reservists, auxiliaries and cadets, but has also been responsible for certain Regular units which could conveniently be organised under it. The reduction in these tasks has made it practicable to distribute them between other commands, and this is now being done. The reorganisation will be completed during the present financial year. We estimate that it will save about 670 Service and 300 civilian posts. The financial saving should in the long term amount to over £¾ million a year.
The control of the Air Training Corps and the Royal Air Force Section of the Combined Cadet Force will pass to Flying Training Command. We hope that this will strengthen still further the link between these Cadet Forces and the flying commands. The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Flying Training Command will assume the additional title of Commandant of the Air Training Corps. In view of the importance of the two cadet forces an air commodore is being appointed as full-time Deputy Commandant.
The second change is in the status of Headquarters, No. 90 Signals Group. We have decided that the term "Group" no longer represents the functions of this Headquarters. An Air Force with increased flexibility and mobility demands ever better communications, navigational aids and radar. We have therefore decided that this formation should henceforward be known as Signals Command. The change in title will involve no upgrading of posts or increase in establishments.