§ MR. HANBURY (Preston)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, if it is the case that when men are injured on ordinary duty, the General Officer commanding has the power of remitting half the daily hospital stoppage of 7d., and when men are injured at drill or manœuvres, the whole of it; on what principle this distinction is drawn between men who are both injured in the performance of duty; and if he can state generally in what percentage of cases of injury the General Officer commanding has exercised the power of remitting the half or the whole respectively of these hospital stoppages during the last year, for which such information is available?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. WOODALL,) HanleyThe fact is as stated in the first paragraph of the question. The distinction between ordinary duty and drill or manœuvres is made because drill and manœuvres assimilate closely to the conditions of active service, for injuries in which it is held that the public should give hospital treatment free. On ordinary duty, the injury a man receives is in most cases attributable to some circumstance over which he has more or less control. The conditions are so various that, for administrative convenience, a half-stoppage was made common to all cases. This is regarded as liberal treatment and a considerable concession to the soldier. The data as to remissions of stoppage are not in a form to enable the question to be exactly answered; but, roughly, the stoppages appear to be wholly remitted in one-half the cases of injury on duty.