asked the Secretary of State for Air if his attention has been drawn to the hardship caused to those officers joining the Air Force whose outfit allowance is granted on a reduced scale if they have had any previous service in other branches of the forces; whether account is taken of the fact that the previous uniform may have been quite worn out or may be quite unsuitable in design, such as is the case where previous service was in the Royal Navy or Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; and whether he is prepared to make concessions in such cases?
Outfit allowance is given on an officer's first joining the Service; all subsequent upkeep has to be met by the officer himself. The officers referred to in the question were not joining for the first time, and it is not admitted that they experienced hardship in receiving a special or reduced rate of outfit allowance as compared with officers who continue in their original service and may have to renew their uniform completely more than once when worn out without receiving any fresh allowance. The question of the allowance to be given in these cases was very fully considered when the scales were fixed, and a further concession cannot be made.