§ MR. BROOKE (Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley)To ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the numerous complaints made by naval officers with regard to their present inability to have their pay remitted direct from the Admiralty to a bank; and whether, seeing that this is permissible in the case of Army officers, he can allow naval officers to enjoy the same convenience.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) No complaints have reached the Admiralty. Under the King's Regulations (Article 1636) an officer can remit, month by month, the whole or any part of his pay and allowances to a bank or to any person 2234 whom he may nominate. In such a case the officer expresses his wish on each occasion to the accountant officer of his ship, and has no trouble beyond that of signing the remittance list. If the officer prefers, a monthly allotment can be made from his pay (within a limit of about two-thirds of the gross amount due) and paid over to a bank or any other nominee. Under this system the officer signifies his wishes at the outset, and the stoppage is made month by month without any further action on his part. No further facilities appear to be called for.