§ Mr. Sorensenasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that members of the Civil Nursing Reserve have to part with 12 coupons for uniform annually irrespective of whether a new replacement uniform is issued to 36W them; and whether this practice will be discontinued so that coupons are only relinquished in actual exchange for uniforms?
§ Mr. DaltonIn agreement with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, I have arranged that members of the Civil Nursing Reserve may have their uniform, both the original issue and subsequent replacements, coupon-free, on condition that they refund to my Department each year an agreed proportion of their basic ration. The coupon value of the initial outfit of uniform for members of the Civil Nursing Reserve varies between 40 and 106 coupons. These arrangements are similar to those made for most other wearers of essential civilian uniform. The purpose of the annual refund is to offset the advantage which wearers of coupon-free uniform would otherwise have over people who have to buy all their clothes out of their ration.