§ Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Undersecretary of State for Air whether he will nowrevise the regulations whereby R.A.F. ground staff suffering injury during the performance of those duties are granted full pay for 12 months only, while personnel engaged on flying receive full pay for 18 months, and the former are charged 2s. 6d. a day while in hospital and the latter pay no charge; and whether he will assess these case equally and abolish the automatic cessation of these concessions based on a time limit so that each case is treated till either fit for some form of duty or until invaliding.
§ Mr. StracheyI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War to the hon. Member for Henley (Sir G. Fox) on 18th December. As to hospital charges the existing distinction is rather different from that implied in the question. Briefly, the officer whose disability is attributable to wounds received in action or illness contracted on service in the field or an account of injury received or illness contracted as a result of a flying accident while on duty, is not generally called upon to make any contribution from full pay towards the cost of hospital in-patient treatment. In other cases, the officer is expected to pay 2s. 6d. a day.