§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, On what grounds Naval pensioners who are in receipt of 2s. 6d. per diem as having been chief petty officers, or, generally, as men of good character and long service, are selected by the Admiralty as the persons who, on attaining the age of 65, are debarred from receiving the Greenwich Hospital age pension; and, also, on what principle these pensions are granted to officers?
CAPTAIN PRICEasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, If it is not the case that the number of Greenwich pensions allotted to officers of the Engineer branch hears an unduly small proportion to the number allotted to other classes of officers in the Civil branch of the Navy?
§ MR. T. BRASSEYSir, no particular class of seamen are debarred from receiving the Greenwich Hospital age pension; but the Admiralty' have decided that pensioners in the receipt of 2s. 6d. a-day and upwards are not eligible for the award of these pensions. Officers never have been eligible for age pensions. If the age pension be given to men who are already in receipt of 2s. 6d. a-day, the effect must be to reduce the number of age pensions available for other men, and to exclude a considerable number with very small pensions who have been invalided out of the Service. I have looked upon the subject to which the Question of the hon. and gallant Member for Devonport (Captain Price) refers. It does appear that the proportion of Greenwich Hospital pensions allotted to Engineer officers is scarcely adequate; but the appropriation of these pensions must be considered comprehensively, and I can only undertake that the subject shall be carefully and impartially considered.