§ Mr. Manderasked the Secretary of State for Air the general conditions under which commissions in the Royal Air Force are granted; to what extent service in the ranks is required; and under what conditions commissions are granted without any such prior service?
§ Sir A. SinclairWith few exceptions commissions for pilot and observer duties are granted only to men who have passed through the ranks. Commissions for other duties are granted both to serving airmen and to direct entrants from civil life who possess the requisite qualifications. A serving airman is eligible for recommendation for a commission at any time irrespective of his age and length of service. Direct entrants from civil life may be granted commissions for ground duties provided that they are above a certain age, normally 32–21 in the case of the technical branch—and have had experience in civil life or previous experience in His Majesty's Forces likely to render them suitable.