§ MR. P. A. TAYLORasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether it is a fact that in 1865 the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty issued an Order that Greenwich out-pensioners should, on reaching fifty-five years of age, receive 5d. per day from the Hospital Fund in addition to their ordinary pension, and 4d. per day more at seventy; whether it is true that this age-pension was refused to men residing in the Colonies; whether subsequently, 1048 in answer to a Petition (December 9th 1875) praying for a redress of this grievance attaching to Colonists, the Admiralty did in fact admit the justice of the demand by admitting the Colonists to equal participation in the age-pension, but dating only from April 1st, 1876; whether an appeal, dated October 10th, 1876, has not been addressed to the Admiralty by the pensioners residing in Australia, praying that the arrears (1865 to 1876) may be paid to them; and whether he can hold out any hope that the men's appeal may be granted?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHSir, it is the fact that an Order in Council, dated September 9,1865, gave a discretionary power to the Admiralty to award age-pensions, as stated in the Question, out of the funds of Greenwich Hospital to naval pensioners, and 3,000 were granted in the first year, including all men in England above the age of 62; 1,000 more were given in the next year, which took in all men in England above 60. Another 1,000 in the following year took in all men in England above 55; and finally, in 1869, all men of 55 were included, and 7,500 men are now receiving age-pensions. In 1866 the Admiralty determined to exclude all men in Government employ and men residing out of the United Kingdom. In 1876 the Board decided to cancel the Order of 1866 and to award these age-pensions to all men eligible for them, whether in Government employ or residing in the Colonies, from the 1st April, 1876, only. This has entailed an increased expenditure of £3,000 a-year. An appeal for arrears was received and refused, as stated in the Question. I do not imagine that any hope can be held out that the appeal will be granted, as the amount is very large and the accounts are closed every year.