§ 24. Mr. R. YOUNGasked the Secretary to the Admiralty why the pensioned chief engine-room artificers serving in the torpedo store, Portsmouth, and who were 357 under fifty-five years of age on the 4th August, 1914, are not to receive the war gratuity given to other naval ratings; and why these ratings in question are not to count the time served until the signing of the Peace Treaty for increase to their pensions, seeing that these men answered the call to the pennant when the Royal Proclamation was issued, but were ordered back to their civilian employment and were told that the torpedo store was their war station, and that some of these men were sent away to war (naval) bases during the War and were not in receipt of the emoluments which other active service ratings were receiving?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe men referred to are civilian employés of the dockyard who continued on their peace employment during the War. They are therefore not eligible for the Naval war gratuity. They are also debarred from the grant of any increase of pension in respect of their civilian employment by the Regulations, which expressly prohibit the counting of civil time towards naval pension. If, however, any of these men had periods of mobilised service prior to being returned to their civilian employment, these periods count for increase of pension, and when added to former service may entitle the men, in some cases, to increased rates of pension. Although my hon. Friend does not raise the point, he will no doubt remember that under the decision of the Government on Recommendation 51 of the Jerram Committee, those long-service pensioners under fifty-five who, after mobilisation, were retained in their civilian employment under the Government, will receive the revised scales of pension now payable.