§ Captain GEEasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) why Mr. Noel Smith, a non-service man, declared substitutable by the Departmental Substitution Committee, is still retained; what exactly are his special qualifications; whether efforts have been made to secure an ex-service man with the same qualifications, and, if so, precisely why an ex-service man with the necessary qualifications cannot be obtained; if such efforts have not been made, why the recommendations of the Lytton Committee are disregarded in this manner;
(2) on what grounds a Miss Dalton is retained in his Department; what duties this woman performs; whether he is aware that she has not passed any examination; and why an ex-service man who recently qualified should not take her place?
Captain GUESTMr. Noel Smith and Miss Dalton are employed in a confidential capacity as private secretary and as personal assistant to the Controller-General of Civil Aviation and myself respectively. Appointments to such posts are at any time a matter of personal selection, and person qualifications and experience are obviously of the first importance. I do not read the Lytton Reports as limiting my discretion in such exceptional cases, and I have decided that substitution by ex-service men is not called for.
§ Captain GEEasked file Secretary of State for Air why a non-service architect is retained in his Department; whether he is aware that a disabled ex-service architect and surveyor was first dismissed from his Department and afterwards offered a post as foreman of works at £3 per week plus bonus, which he 1381W declined to accept; that the disabled ex-service man had previously been in private practice, and was in every way a thoroughly efficient and highly technical man; and why the non-service man was given preference in direct contradiction to the terms of the Lytton Report?
Captain GUESTThe civil engineer at Halton, who, I assume, is the non-service architect referred to, is retained because of his special qualifications for the work, which is, in any case, coming to an end about next August. His replacement at present would mean a loss of efficiency and economy. The ex-service man who was offered a foreman of works post had not the special training and qualifications which would have made him a suitable substitute.
§ Captain GEEasked the Secretary of State for Air what is construed in his Department as constituting private means; whether he is aware that a Miss Pugh employed in his Department admitted having a certain amount of private income; that this lady found it unnecessary to engage in work prior to the War; that the establishment branch has stated that they do not regard her as possessing private means; what justification there is for this attitude; and why she is not substituted by an ex-service man?
Captain GUESTNeither the Air Ministry nor (as will be seen from the Third Report) the Lytton Committee have found it possible to lay down a hard and fast rule as to the minimum annual income which may be regarded as constituting private means. Miss Pugh's small private income, communicated confidentially, was accepted by the Substitution Committee (not, as suggest d in the question, by the Establishment Division) as not debarring her from further employment, but I may say that prior to my hon. and gallant Friend putting down his question, it had already been decided to replace Miss Pugh if an ex-service man capable of performing her highly-specialised duties can be obtained.
§ Captain GEEasked the Secretary of State for Air whether a Mr. Wintermore, a non-service man, is being retained in his Department as indispensable; what was the pre-War occupation of this gentleman; is he aware that his alleged 1382W technical qualifications have all been obtained as a result of his experience at the Air Ministry; whether prospective candidates for this post sent by the Joint Substitution Board were interviewed by Mr. Wintermore himself; if not by whom were they interviewed; what exactly are the qualifications required for this post; and upon what grounds it has been stated that no ex-service man with these qualifications can be found?
Captain GUESTMr. Winter Moore, a non-service man, is in charge of a branch which is responsible for the preparation of schedules of parts of aeroplanes, engines, etc., and is now regarded as non-substitutable owing to the fact that efforts, covering a long period, to obtain an ex-service man to replace him were unsuccessful. Before the War he was employed as an architect. His technical training acquired outside the Service includes a three years' course at the Royal College of Arts on architecture, etc., and a course of mechanical engineering. He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and has been employed on technical work in connection with aircraft during the past seven years, a period of very great development in aircraft. Prospective candidates for his post, with one exception, were interviewed by an R.A.F. squadron leader to whom Mr. Winter Moore is responsible. Owing to a misapprehension, Mr. Winter Moore interviewed one candidate. Candidates for the post were required to be conversant with all details of the work connected with the compilation and issue of schedules of parts of aircraft and aircraft engines, and to possess a wide aeronautical experience and knowledge of the special requirements of the Air Service. No ex-service candidate with the necessary experience has hitherto been found.