§ 42. Major NEWMANasked the President of the Local Government Board what progress has been made by the Committee set up to deal with the civil liabilities of those on military service; have commissioners been appointed and started their work for all districts; what arrangement has been made for Ireland; and what means have been adopted to enable soldiers serving outside the United Kingdom to make application for help if they desire?
§ Mr. HAYEs FISHERI am glad to be in a position to assure my hon. and gallant Friend that very considerable progress has been made, and much of the credit for this is due to the Advisory Committee whose appointment I announced to the House on the 1st June last. Commissioners have been at work in every district in Great Britain since the 29th May. Arrangements have been made for bringing the scheme into operation in Ireland, where there has been some delay owing to causes which will be readily understood. It is proposed to start with four Commissioners, one for each province, whose headquarters will be Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Galway. Forms of application will be in the Irish Post Offices in the course of this week. The War Office are arranging for forms of application to be sent to the front. It has been arranged that application forms filled in by men at the front shall be forwarded by the War Office to the Committee's offices, where they will be sorted and sent on to the appropriate Commissioners.
§ Major NEWMANDoes the right hon. Gentleman say that the War Office are arranging, or have arranged?
§ Mr. HAYEs FISHERThe War Office are arranging—I think, as a matter of fact, they have arranged!