It is natural that the decision to defer the release of a number of soldiers of various trades should cause concern to the men affected and to their relatives. I fully sympathise with this feeling, but as I have already explained in answer to previous Questions, it is essential to defer temporarily the release of a relatively small number of individuals. I have examined the total numbers so deferred in the Middle East, and they are surprisingly small in relation to the deficiencies in that theatre and the serious operational problems for which the theatre is responsible.

I do not agree that there is underemployment of soldiers in the Middle East in any general sense; indeed, the Majority of the troops are extremely hard worked. The work done cannot be assessed in any statement of routine hours, since there can be no limit to the hours worked when conditions, for example, in Palestine, demand it. The 38½ hour week referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg) conforms with the agreed routine hours of work for clerks at G.H.Q., M.E.L.F. It is not considered that these hours are too short in view of the conditions under which the men are working and of the fact that they are routine hours which are no doubt greatly increased when operational conditions require it. An Easter holiday as stated does not seem at all unreasonably long. G.H.Q., Middle East, is controlling the theatre of Palestine, in which operations are actually taking place. It is accordingly unsound to measure the requirements of G.H.Q. in relation to periods of leave or routine hours worked. The work is necessarily of a fluctuating nature. This is to some extent true of all Military duties in the field. The fact that a soldier is only standing by, by no means implies that he is not performing a necessary military duty.

Steps are continually taken to adjust deficiencies and to find men from the least pressed corps to assist those which are short. I am satisfied that only when all such measures of readjustment have been taken does the Commander-in-Chief resort to ordering the temporary deferment of individuals.

In announcing release programmes, it has always been pointed out that the temporary deferment of individuals may be necessary. In no case have these deferments been for more than three months and the majority have been for far shorter periods.