§ 3. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked for the number of men in the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines who, on the 31st March, 1914, were eligible for a Greenwich age pension of 5d. a day and have not received it; will he give the number of men who, being eligible for the age pension, made application to the Admiralty during the year ended 31st March, 1914, but were, refused on the ground that the fund was insufficient; and will he give the same information as regards the additional age pension of 4d. a day?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe number of men who made application during the year ended 31st March, 1914, and to whom age pensions were not awarded owing to insufficient funds, was about 300. No eligible men who have applied for the additional age pension of 4d. a day granted at sixty-five years of age have been refused. The number of men eligible on the 31st March last for age pensions of 5d. a day who had not been awarded such pensions was approximately 2,900. As I have pointed out before, all these men are in receipt of naval life pensions, in many cases of comparatively substantial amounts; and it may be taken that men over fifty-seven years of age whose applications for the Greenwich Hospital age pension have so far been unsuccessful, are either men in receipt of naval life pensions of comparatively substantial amount, or, if their pensions are small, have some other means of subsistence. The circumstances of all applicants for the Greenwich Hospital age pension are carefully considered when selecting men for the award.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in many cases these men have wives and old women dependent upon them, and some of them have children; and will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of the Government endeavouring to obtain a Grant from the Naval Fund to help these men, and to prevent their having to go to the workhouse?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAWe have done something in that direction, as the hon. Member knows.
§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORDIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, possibly unintentionally, he has conveyed to the House that men having pensions are not entitled to the extra 4d.?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThere is nothing in my answer which conveyed that. I said that men who made application are in receipt of naval pensions; otherwise they would not be eligible.
§ Lord C. BERESFORDThe right hon. Gentleman does not wish it to go out that the men who have pensions are thereby debarred from having the extra 4d., though they are entitled to it? Is it that they have not the money at the Admiralty?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAOn the contrary, if the men had not life pensions they would 338 not be eligible. What we do is to disburse the money to the oldest and most necessitous till it is gone.