§ Sir R. Glynasked the Secretary of State for Air whether it is intended to reduce the 30,954 civilians at present employed at the 128 R.A.F. storage and. repair depots in the United Kingdom; how many of these depots are to be shut down altogether; and whether it is contemplated that the new authorised establishment of the Royal Air Force will permit the retention of not more than 75 depots as the normal peace-time establishment compared with the 61 which served the R.A.F. before the war.
§ Mr. A. HendersonYes. The number of civilians employed at R.A.F. storage and repair depots in the United Kingdom is under constant review by my Department and there has, in fact, been a reduction of 2,400 in the civilian strength of these units since the figures contained in my predecessor's reply of 24th June, 1947. As for the second and third parts of the hon. Member's Question, I am afraid that it is not yet possible to state how many of these depots are eventually to be shut down, or to continue in permanent use; their ultimate establishment will depend on consideration, which has not yet been completed, of the long-term size and disposition of the peacetime Air Force.