asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is satisfied that the supply of aircraft spare parts sited along the air routes between Britain and the Far East is sufficient to avoid delay in the operation of the air transport service on that route; and, if not, what action he proposes to take.

It has been difficult to accumulate adequate supplies of spare parts all along the 5,000-mile air trooping route; but on the whole the services have been maintained.

Can the Minister say whether this reduction in spare parts has reduced the rate of demobilisation? If so, to what extent, and, more important still, has it led to any insecurity in regard to the air transport position on these lines?

No, Sir. The difficulty has been to get the spare parts properly distributed along the long route at the staging posts, and that is certainly one of the things we have had to face in the trooping programme, but safety has certainly not been sacrificed.

Does not the Minister think that any insecurity which arises is much more likely to come from the strain on personnel?

I think that is a very possible cause of it.