HC Deb 09 October 1945 vol 414 cc93-4W
Sir E. Graham-Little

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will now release university students whose courses were interrupted through direction into industry in a technical capacity by decisions of the university joint recruiting boards and the Scientific and Technical Register, so that they may continue their studies, especially where these are officially recognised as training for the teaching profession.

Mr. Isaacs

Yes, Sir; arrangements have now been made whereby University students whose courses were interrupted by direction into industry as a result of decisions of University Joint Recruiting Boards may be deferred from calling up for military services in order that they may resume their studies if they are of 1st Class or high 2nd Class Honours standard selected by their Universities as Research or third year students, or, if not of this standard, are selected by their Universities as of high promise and were called up before the end of their normal deferment and before they had had an opportunity of taking an Honours degree. In order that these arrangements should not conflict with those for the release of students from the Forces, it has been decided that deferment under these arrangements should be limited to those who would have been released from the Forces under Class A if they had served continuously in the Forces for the same period as they had been engaged on civilian work of national importance and those who, had they been in the Forces, would have been eligible for release in Class B if their period of work in civil forms of national service amounts to three years or more.