103. Major Lloydasked the Secretary at State for War whether he is aware that, at 31st August, specialists of the R.A.M.C. will be 15 groups behind other medical officers and two groups behind other ranks in release; and whether he will see to it that this anomaly is put right at an early date.
§ Mr. LawsonSpecialists were generally older than other medical officers on entry into the Army, and there was therefore a far larger proportion of Specialists in the early age and service groups. This made it inevitable that their release programme should fall behind that for general duty medical officers. Specialists are being released as rapidly as the requirements of the Army allow, and about 70 per cent. of those serving in June, 1945, have already been released. In the interests of serving soldiers I cannot allow any serious deterioration in specialist services. To assist in meeting the Army's requirements specialists will in future be accepted on an 18 months engagement and I hope that this will increase the intake from civil life.