NAVAL MEDICAL COMPASSIONATE FUND BILL. (Hansard, 24 February 1915)

Mr. LAMBERT (Civil Lord of the Admiralty)
I beg to move, "That the Hill be now read a second time."
This is a purely Departmental measure dealing with a sum of £10,600, the nucleus of a fund established in 1817. Owing to various alterations in particular arrangements of the naval medical officers, that fund is now almost in a moribund condition. We ask that there may be power by an Order in Council to reorganise the fund and to create a number of new trustees, who will probably be three—the Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty, the Medical Director-General, and possibly the Director of Greenwich Hospital. The object is to constitute those gentlemen trustees, to enable them to consult the medical officers concerned in reference to this fund, so that the nucleus, now consisting of £10,600, may be put to better advantage and distributed among the dependants of naval officers who are killed in the War.

§ Mr. RAWLINSON
What is the urgency about this measure? It may be perfectly good, but why should it be dealt with as an emergency Bill when this fund has been going on since 1817?

Mr. LAMBERT
The urgency is that the fund has become moribund. We want simply that this fund should be utilised for the benefit of those dependants of the medical officers who have been killed during the War.

§ Mr. RAWLINSON
How has it become moribund?

Mr. LAMBERT
If the hon. and learned. Member desires me to give a longer explanation, I will do so with pleasure The fund was established in 1817 with a compulsory contribution made by medical, officers to supplement the pensions granted to the widows, which at that time only amounted to £40 a year. Things went on until 1861, when Parliament wound up the compulsory portion of the fund but left the voluntary part of it to be applied as a compassionate fund to the dependants of medical officers who should choose to contribute to that fund. Those medical officers have not contributed to it. There is now a sum of £10,600 available, which it is thought may be usefully employed in giving benefit to the dependants of those medical officers who have been killed in the War. We propose to constitute as trustees gentlemen who we hope the hon. Gentleman will think are peculiarly suitable to discharge the duty—the Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty, the Medical Director - General, and possibly the Director of Greenwich Hospital. I can assure the hon. and learned Member that we have no ulterior motive. Our object is solely to administer the fund, the nucleus of which is already in existence, for the benefit of the dependants of those medical officers who are killed in the War.