§ Mr. R. Gibsonasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that Circular Letter E 5913/10, dated 17th April, 1939, issued by him, provides that, unless special circumstances exist, permission to enlist for the period of hostilities will not normally be given to civil servants who have reached the age of 25 years; that this provision is resented by many young men in the Civil Service who are anxious now to offer themselves voluntarily for enlistment and will seriously adversely affect recruitment; and if he will revise this provision so as to give young men of and above the said age reasonable facilities for voluntary enlistment?
§ Captain CrookshankThe circular to which the hon. Member refers was issued prior to the recent revision of the peacetime Schedule of Reserved Occupations. The present position is as set out in my answer of the 10th May to the hon. and gallant Member for Hitchin (Sir A. Wilson).