§ 26. Mr. PENNEFATHERasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office the amount of pay and ration allowance given at the discharge centre to a soldier who is discharged, under King's Regulations 292, xxv. or xxva., as having suffered no impairment, to enable him to maintain himself until he finds employment or until he receives further payment of any balance due to him on his accounts?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe soldier is entitled to seven days' pay and allowances beyond the date of his leaving the discharge 880 centre—that is, normally, to a minimum of 25s. 1d. Of this sum £1 is actually issued at the discharge centre and the remainder reaches the soldier in about a week. Under new Regulations, which will very shortly be issued, it is hoped that this will be reduced. I regret that my previous reply made it appear that the whole seven days' pay was issued at the discharge centre, and I am obliged to my hon. Friend for giving me the opportunity of explaining matters more fully.
§ 34. Sir J. BARRANasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions if he will state what further steps his Department has taken or is taking to secure more complete and systematic arrangements for helping discharged soldiers into employment; whether he can announce any recent improvement made by his Department or the War Office as regards the selection of a limited number of military hospitals for discharge purposes, or the arrangements for visiting and imparting information in these and other hospitals; and whether any communications have been sent to local pensions committees since the recent Debate in this House on matters which were subjects of criticism and suggestion in that Debate?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of PENSIONS (Sir A. Griffith-Boscawen)A special branch has been formed in the Ministry to deal with all questions affecting the reinstatement of disabled men in employment, and this branch is at work in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour, with a view to arriving at a scheme of general application.
With regard to the second part of the question, arrangements have been made by the War Office to limit the number of hospitals from which cases will be discharged, and the improvement of the system of visiting men prior to their discharge is under consideration with that Department.
As to the last part of the question, the various criticisms and suggestions made in the course of the recent Debate are now under examination in the Department.
§ Sir J. BARRANCan the hon. Gentleman say what is the number of hospitals to which discharges are now limited, and whether he is satisfied that the number is small enough to enable visiting and the imparting of information to be satisfactorily undertaken?
§ Sir A. GRIFFITH-BOSCAWENI cannot give the number. I think that question should be addressed to the War Office; they are War Office discharged soldiers.