§ Mr. Hurdasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many former agricultural workers serving in the R.N. have been offered release under the Class B block scheme; and how many will be released by the end of May.
Mr. DugdaleUp to mid-May, release under the Class B block scheme had been offered to 1,731 persons serving in the Royal Navy who were previously employed in agricultural work. It is known that of this number 251 persons have been released, and that there have been 295 refusals, but the results of the remaining offers are not yet available. I regret that it is not possible to say how many will be released by the end of the month.