§ 115. Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for War what inducements are offered to National Service men to persuade them to sign on for three or more years in the Forces; and whether he will ensure that promises, such as continuous home service, are not made with this object in view.
§ Mr. J. R. H. HutchisonApart from the inherent differences between Regular and National Service conditions of service, the only special provision which affects the National Service recruit is that he is normally permitted to remain with the unit with which he is serving for at least a year. This applies whether the unit is at home or overseas and the man is normally required to go with his unit wherever it may be sent. A man 109W who is contemplating a Regular engagement is necessarily given these facts on which to make his choice. It would be quite impracticable to offer him continuous home service.
§ 117. Mr. C. Hughesasked the Secretary of State for War how many National Service men from Wales have been drafted to Welsh units and how many to other units in the years 1950, 1951 and 1952, respectively.
§ Mr. J. R. H. HutchisonInformation for 1950 is not readily available. In 1951 5,868 National Service men were called up by the Welsh Regional Office of the Ministry of Labour, of whom 1,638 were allocated to Welsh units. In 1952 the corresponding figures were 6,379 and 1,718.
§ 118. Mr. G. Robertsasked the Secretary of State for War to what extent Welsh recruits to the Army are placed in Welsh units.
§ Mr. J. R. H. HutchisonWelsh recruits, like all other recruits for the Regular Army, are enlisted into the corps of their choice provided that they fulfil the conditions of entry into that corps and there are vacancies.