asked the Secretary of State for Air how many men and women, commissioned and other ranks, in the various commands of the Royal Air Force, applied last year for permission to purchase their release or to resign their commission; and whether he has any statement to make.

Two thousand, six hundred and forty-one airmen applied last year to purchase their discharge from the R.A.F. I regret that it is impracticable to analyse these applications into the various Commands but 2.321 came from airmen at home units and 320 from airmen serving overseas. The scheme for discharge by purchase does not apply to officers but so far as can be ascertained 190 officers last year applied to resign their commissions, to retire or to be transferred prematurely to the Reserve. The commands in which they were serving were:

Fighter	…	…	23
Bomber	…	…	14
Coastal	…	…	11
Transport	…	…	16
Reserve	…	…	10
Technical Training	…	…	40
Flying Training	…	…	24
Maintenance	…	…	15
90 Group	…	…	2
Overseas	…	…	35

No women applied to purchase their discharge last year as the scheme applied to airwomen only from 1st February, 1949, when the Women's Royal Air Force was constituted as a regular force. The answer to the last part of the question is "No."