asked the Secretary of State for War why men from the Middle East Forces, after spending nearly five years overseas, are sent to Germany, having remained only six weeks in this country.

As already announced by my predecessor, owing to the rapid fall in the home establishment there are very few vacancies for repatriated soldiers, and in order not to interfere with the maximum flow of men homewards it was necessary to reduce the period before which repatriated soldiers could be posted to North-West Europe. Six weeks is the minimum period, which necessarily varies in different arms, in relation to the size of the home establishment. The retention of men in the United Kingdom in excess of home requirements could not be justified having regard to the needs of B.A.O.R.