§ Mr. J. Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for Air what are the numbers and percentage comparisons of officers and men demobilised from the Royal Air Force in the middle of 1946 and 1947, and of civilian workers discharged from all Royal Air Force establishments by the 263W same dates, with an estimate of the position in both categories at 1st January, next.
§ Mr. A. HendersonThe number of officers, airmen and airwomen released from the R.A.F. between 1st July, 1945, and 30th June, 1946, was 738,276; 282,513 were released between 1st July, 1946, and 30th June, 1947; a further 50,000 are expected to have been released by 31st December, 1947. The total strength of the Air Force on 1st July, 1945, was 1,115,600; it is estimated that on 1st January, 1948, the strength will be 306,000. The R.A.F. will thus have been reduced by 72.5 per cent. on 1st January, 1948, compared with its strength on 1st July, 1945. It is not possible to give the total number of civilians discharged from R.A.F. establishments at home between 1st July, 1945, and the present date without very considerable research. The civilian strength at such establishments (including Air Ministry headquarters) has, however, been reduced as follows:
Date Strength 1st July, 1945 100,124 1st July, 1946 76,772 1st July, 1947 61,754 Estimated strength 1st January, 1948 69,700* *Includes approximately 9,000 in 41 Group recently transferred from Ministry of Supply. Excluding those transferred from the Ministry of Supply, the civilian strength will have been reduced by about 39.4 per cent. by 1st January, 1948, compared with 1st July, 1945. The main reason why the civilian strength has declined less fast than the Service strength is that the former expanded less during the war. The proportion of Service to civilian strength is still much higher than before the war.