§ 27. Mr. S. Shephardasked the Secretary of State for Air what help is to be given by men serving in the R.A.F. to assist agriculture during the 1947 harvest.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerI am glad to be able to assure the House that we shall do everything we can to help the farmers during the harvest months. Members of the R.A.F. in the United Kingdom or Germany who are farm workers, or experienced market gardeners, can apply for 28 days' agricultural leave. This special leave can be taken in each half of the year and can be extended to 56 days if farming is seriously hampered by bad weather. As many airmen as we can spare will be made available to farmers, and all ranks will be encouraged to help outside their working hours.