§ Viscount CURZONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, when the Admiralty asked for volunteers to be seconded to the Royal Air Force, they were to be paid the pay of the Royal Air Force, to be allowed to wear their naval uniform, and to hold the same relative rank; if not, on what grounds; whether any naval officers now are attached, lent, or seconded to the Royal Air Force; whether they are paid at Royal Air Force rates of pay, hold their reltive rank, and wear their uniform; and whether they volunteered for service with the Royal Air Force?
§ Mr. AMERYI assume that my Noble and gallant Friend refers to the scheme of attachment to the Royal Air Force promulgated in Admiralty Fleet Order 2011 (a) of 1920, and not to the short courses of training as observers which are now in operation. Under the former scheme, officers were graded as flying officers on joining, but if they held rank in the Royal Navy higher than sublieutenant, they were granted honorary rank in the Royal Air Force equivalent to their naval rank. During their service in the Royal Air Force, however, they carry the rank, pay, and authority of their substantive Air Force grading for all Air Force purposes. They are eligible for substantive promotion to flight-lieutenant, by selection in vacancies, after qualifying as pilots. The uniform worn is, in the case of Service uniform, that of their substantive Royal Air Force rank, or of the honorary rank if held, and, in the case of full dress and mess-dress, naval uniform. I may add that these conditions were those considered necessary by the Air Ministry, who attached considerable importance to the officers wearing the Service dress of the Royal Air Force, even if they wore the mess-dress and full dress of their parent Service. Seven officers, who volunteered for service with the Royal Air Force under this scheme, were attached in September, 1920, for a period of three years. As I explained in my reply of the 25th July to the hon. and gallant Member for Maidstone (Commander Bellairs), proposals were discussed for attaching a further number of officers in 1921, but the scheme fell through on account of the revised conditions, which the Admiralty thought were necessary to make any 1688W voluntary scheme a success, not being acceptable to the Air Ministry. No other officers are now attached, lent, or seconded, as, although officers undergoing courses as observers carry out the greater part of their training with the Royal Air Force, they remain under naval conditions throughout.