§ MR. SNOWDEN (Blackburn)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if, in view of the decision of the Local Government Board that weekly advances made by boards of guardians to Navy pensioners between quarterly pension days, such advances being deducted from the pension by the Army authorities, disqualify for an old-age pension, he will consider the desirability of paying Navy pensions weekly.
§ MR. McKENNAOn the general question of the payment of pensions weekly instead of quarterly, I have nothing to add to the Answers I gave in this House on 14th and 15th October. I would remind the hon. Member that all the information in the possession of the Admiralty points to the fact that naval pensioners as a body are fully cognisant of the advantage they derive from receiving their pensions quarterly in advance, and would resent the substitution of a general system of weekly payments. The very small percentage of men who are forced to have recourse to the Poor Law authorities for reasons other than infirmity or lunacy does not justify any change of system. In cases, however, in which it can be shown that it would be an advantage to the man to receive his pension at shorter intervals the Admiralty are prepared to make monthly payments to him, or, subject to his consent, to pay the full quarterly sum to any responsible person for the purpose of issue by weekly instalments.