As PAS do not have flying pay I assume they are not affected by the rule that if you fill a non-flying related post for over two years you lose your flying pay after the two year point.
Does it not follow then, for pilots at least, that by accepting a PAS offer you may be locking yourself into consecutive desk jobs with no immediate hope of returning to flying duties? I knew a PAS Sqn Ldr who was in his third desk job having tried to get back flying at every opportunity; he eventually got flying but only on loan-service with another Air Force.
As PAS could you not potentially become the Desk Officer's 'Joker Card' for those difficult to fill posts?