HC Deb 09 March 1916 vol 80 cc1702-3
48. Mr. SNOWDEN

asked the Prime Minister what action he proposes to take in order to secure that local tribunals shall carry out the pledge he gave to the House of Commons in regard to the Military Service Act, namely, that the last remaining son of a widow should not be taken; and particularly what does he propose to do in regard to a case which came before the St. Pancras tribunal on 23rd February, where an applicant, basing his claim for exemption on the fact that he was the only son of an aged mother, living at home, the two other sons having gone to the War, was refused exemption by the tribunal on the advice of the military representative that no financial loss would be suffered by the mother if her third and last remaining son was taken into the Army?

50. Mr. HOGGE

asked the Prime Minister whether if he cannot see his way to carry out his intention that care should be exercised by tribunals in selecting the last remaining son in families which have already contributed all the other members of the family to the Army and Navy and so avoid the catastrophe of entire families being wiped out, he will see that steps are taken at once to secure that these last remaining sons are placed in non-combatant service?

The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Asquith)

I would refer the hon. Members to the exact language used by me on the 5th January last. It will be seen that it was carefully confined to the case of a single unmarried son whose parent, if he were called up for service, would be deprived of the means of maintenance. My right hon. Friend the President of the Local Government Board has also dealt with the matter under the head of "serious hardship" in a letter addressed by him to the Central Appeal Tribunal on the 23rd February. It is, of course, impossible to go into the merits of particular decisions without knowing the special circumstances of each case.

Mr. HOGGE

Cannot my right hon. Friend distinguish between the case of a single unmarried man and the case of a man who is, say, the fifth or sixth but last remaining member of the family and will he not see that a single unmarried son who is the last remaining son who has not enlisted may be retained to the parents in order that the family may not be wiped out?

The PRIME MINISTER

That is exactly what I said. I refer my hon. Friend to the remarks I made, reported in columns 956 and 957 on 5th January last.