asked the Under-secretary of State for Air whether he will consider transporting Service personnel to this country for demobilisation in the freight-carriers which now return from India empty.

As I explained to the House on 12th October, each Transport Command crew has to fly two return journeys carrying freight only over the route on which they will operate before they carry passengers. Although space may sometimes be available in these aircraft my hon. Friend will appreciate that to allow passengers to be carried would defeat the object of this rule which has been introduced in the interests of the safety of passengers carried by Transport Command.