Colonel Wheatley:

asked the Secretary of State for Air why the sailing of a party of pilot cadets for South Africa on s.s. "Stirling Castle" on 4th December was cancelled on 28th November, after the cadets had drawn their tropical kit, etc., on 25th November.

My Department received a report from the R.A.F. authorities in Southern Rhodesia on 26th November proposing a re-arrangement of the R.A.F. Training Schools there. In order to carry out this re-arrangement, the sailing of the next contingent of cadets had to be postponed.

Colonel Wheatley:

Does the Minister agree that, in order to encourage young officers instead of disappointing them, it would have been as well to have told them the reason why their departure was delayed?

I was not aware that they had not been told.