§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the Under-Secretary of State for War what is 585W the establishment of Category B, non-commissioned officers and men; the strength on 1st February, 1912; if, on mobilisation, the deficiency in numbers will be made up from the Regular Reserve; will he state the establishment of the Special Contingent on 1st February, 1912, and the strength; if, on mobilisation, the deficiency in numbers will be made up from the Regular Reserve; and if, in the estimated strength of the Regular Reserve on 1st October, 1912, will be included the number of men returning home from abroad as drafts during the trooping season of 1912 on completion of their term of colour service?
§ Colonel SEELYThe establishment of Category B is 7448, and the present strength is 981. It is not considered expedient to publish the present arrangements made for completing the numbers on mobilisation. The Special Contingent has been merged in the Special Reserve and is now an obsolete term. As regards the last part of the question the reply is in the negative.
§ Mr. BENNETT-GOLDNEYasked the number of subaltern officers at present serving in the Special Reserve and on the probationary list who are candidates for the Regular Army, and of the number of officers from the Officers' Training Corps who have joined the Special Reserve up to 1st February, 1912, the number at present serving, and the number who are on the supplementary list?
§ Colonel SEELYThere are no statistics to show how many of the subalterns serving in the Special Reserve are candidates for commissions in the Regular Army, but during the last two years 217 subalterns on joining declared their intention of presenting themselves for commissions, and some have already passed into the Regular Army. Up to 1st February 241 members of Officers' Training Corps have been appointed to commissions in the Special Reserve, of whom eighty-five are on supplementary lists. There are no statistics to show how many of these are still serving.