HC Deb 24 July 1916 vol 84 cc1328-9
77. Major HUNT

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why a naval officer who has served several years on the Active List in the Navy before joining the Emergency List is, after rejoining the Active List when recalled by the Admiralty for the War, not only deprived of his seniority for the years when on the Emergency List, but also prevented from being allowed to count for pension those years in which he was on the Active List in the Navy before joining the Emergency List?

Dr. MACNAMARA

Officers on the Emergency List, on rejoining for active service during war, are not deprived of any seniority, nor are emergency officers entitled to any pension, but receive a gratuity at the close of their service. I imagine my hon. Friend has in mind the case of an officer who has resigned from the Active List, joined the Emergency List, and on coming up for service during war applied to be reinstated on the Active List. In cases such as this, it is the invariable practice to reduce an officer's seniority by the time he has been absent from the Active List; otherwise he would reach his turn for promotion, or for consideration of promotion, as the case may be, in the same position as though he had served continuously on the Active List, and this would hardly be fair to his contemporaries who had served on the Active List continuously. It has also been laid down that officers who resign and are subsequently reinstated on the Active List cannot count their previous service towards pension.

Major HUNT

Why is this disability in-sited on by the Admiralty?

Dr. MACNAMARA

There is no disability. The Emergency List of officers represents gentlemen who have retired from the Service with no pension. They are called back to the Service and get service pay plus 25 per cent. There is no disability.

Major HUNT

Does not the Admiralty compel them to come back? Surely they should be allowed to count these years for their pensions?

Dr. MACNAMARA

I have explained that they were not entitled to a pension when they went on the Emergency List. What we do is to pay them active service pay plus 25 per cent.