§ MR. REGINALD LUCAS (Portsmouth)To ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the disasters connected with H.M.S. "Condor" and H.M.S. "Mars," following upon the loss of H.M.S. "Cobra," His Majesty's Government will consider the possibility of charging the pensions of widows of seamen so killed upon public funds instead of upon the funds of Greenwich Hospital, which are now inadequate to meet the existing claims of old seamen who are qualified to receive the Greenwich Old Age Pensions.
(Answer.) Without making any statement on the general policy which ought to be pursued in connection with the cases of widows and orphans of soldiers and sailors killed otherwise than on active service, the Government are now considering whether something cannot be done to alleviate the heavy pension charge which the loss of the ships mentioned will devolve on Greenwich Hospital funds.—(Treasury.)