§ Lieut.-Commander Joynson-Hicksasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that age and service Groups 33, 34 and 35 are now being deferred en bloc in C.M.F. units in order to retain the unit establishment; that tradesmen in those groups are being 124W employed on duties other than their trades; and whether the age and service group system of demobilisation has now been abandoned.
§ Mr. de FreitasNo, Sir, this does not apply to the Royal Air Force. There is no block deferment of R.A.F. releases from the Mediterranean and Middle East or any other Command. As forecast in the original White Paper on Release, there are some unavoidable variations in the release rate between the different branches and trades of the Service, but these variations are the same throughout all R.A.F. Commands. They are certainly not increased by any duties outside their normal trades which airmen may from time to time be given, and this month there is no deferment of airmen in any trade in groups 33, 34 or 35.