§ Sir I. Alberyasked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are now made for home leave for other ranks serving in the Burma area.
§ Sir J. GriggI would refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the course of the Debate on Friday.
§ Major V. Adamsasked the Secretary of State for War whether it is now possible to improve the allotment of home leave to soldiers serving in Italy and the Middle East; and whether it will be possible to enable the wives of married soldiers in Italy to join their husbands.
§ Sir J. GriggI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement I made in the Debate on 8th June. The answer to the second part of the Question is, "I am afraid not." I should like to take this opportunity of correcting an error which slipped into my statement owing to a misreading of my notes. In explaining that men in the first 26 release groups would not in general be sent to the Far East, I said that these groups would automatically include men of 40 and over who had more than 2½ years' service. As reference to the "Race Card" will show, I should have said 3½ years. I am very sorry for this mistake and for any misunderstanding it may have caused. The error was corrected in the accounts of my speech sent to the Forces newspapers.