§ 55. Mr. Callaghanasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that the additional period of service required from sailors at the end of their normal engagements is much longer than in the case of the other two Services; and what steps he is taking to reduce this burden.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasYes. I explained in the debate on Navy Estimates that the Navy requires, for the expansion needed to meet the emergency, a higher proportion of senior ratings of long experience and high technical ability and that the additional numbers of such men can only be found by retaining them at the end of their engagement for a period of additional service.
I also gave the assurance that this period of additional service will be reduced as soon as possible and that our present intentions are to begin that reduction in 1953 for all ratings except those special Service men who have an automatic reserve liability on the expiry of their engagement. The progressive reduction will be as rapid as the circumstances in 1953 permit, but I regret that I cannot be more precise at the moment.