asked the Secretary of State for War (1) if he is satisfied that there is no surplus of engineer clerks in the Chief Engineer's Branch, G.H.Q., M.E.L.F.; and it he will specially investigate the establishments considered necessary in this and other branches, in relation to actual needs, with a view to the more economical use of clerical manpower and the release of R.A.S.C. clerks now overdue for repatriation and release but retained in the Middle East as operationally vital;

(2) if he is aware that no employment in their own Corps could be found for a draft of R.A.M.C. clerks who arrived recently in the Middle East, and that many of them are being employed as office orderlies, collecting and delivering mail, etc.; and if he will ensure that all such men, with suitable clerical qualifications, shall replace R.A.S.C. or other clerks due or overdue for release but retained as operationally vital;

(3) if he is aware that some R.A.S.C. clerks at G.H.Q., M.E.L.F., are working only 38½ hours a week; that their Easter holidays were from 1.15 p.m. Thursday, 25th March, to 8.15 a.m. Tuesday, 30th March; that on that day they worked from 8.15 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.; that clerks whose release has been deferred on the ground that they are operationally vital spend many duty hours gardening, having nothing else to do, and have, since the deferment of their release, been allowed as much as two weeks' leave; and if, in view of this evidence of under-employment, and other data submitted to him, he will order a more thorough investigation of the current or threatened deferment of the release of hundreds of such clerks in group 67 and subsequent groups.