§ SIR HENRY TYLER (Great Yarmouth)asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he will consider further the question of placing Quartermaster Sergeants, retired under previous Regulations, and who have done good service in the Crimea, on the same footing, as regards pension, with those more recently retired, having regard to the fact that Quartermaster Sergeants recently retired receive on retirement a large sum of money in addition to a larger pension; and, what would be the total amount required to confer such a benefit on Quartermaster Sergeants, who served in the Crimea and retired under the then existing Regulations, by merely increasing their pension, without giving them any additional emolument?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. E. STANHOPE) (Lincolnshire, Horncastle)It has always been a recognized principle that Warrants creating new rates of retired pay or pension cannot be made retrospective as far as persons already retired are concerned. Under these circumstances, I cannot possibly re-open the case of Quartermaster Ser- 1265 grants pensioned before the recent Regulations came into force.