§ Mr. Leachasked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of his reply, dated 7th May, 1940, that vaccination and inoculation are voluntary in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and that instructions to this effect had been sent to all concerned, he will take steps to prevent officers of the Auxiliary Territorial Service telling recruits that all inoculations in the Auxiliary Territorial Service are compulsory?
§ Captain MargessonIf the hon. Member will send me particulars of any specific cases where these instructions are said to have been ignored I will be glad to look into them.
§ Sir W. Waylandasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the conditions obtaining at a signal school in Yorkshire, where Auxiliary Territorial Service personnel are housed in isolated, damp and unventilated Nissen huts without adequate sanitary arrangements; that male personnel were removed from these huts because of the high incidence of sickness among them; and what steps he is taking to remedy this state of affairs?
§ Captain MargessonAuxiliary Territorial Service personnel of the signal school in question are not and never have been accommodated in huts. They are housed in a brick building which is centrally heated and has adequate sanitary arrangements. The statement that troops were moved out of the huts owing to the high incidence of sickness is also incorrect; the sick rate for the men while in occupation of these huts was in fact below the average for the Command.