§ 94. Captain REDMONDasked the Secretary of State for War whether Malta 35 is classified as a home station; whether a Staff captain at Malta is paid at the rate of 15s, per day plus allowances, and as a result his war gratuity will be considerably less than that of an officer of similar rank on the General Staff at Whitehall, whose gratuity is based on consolidated pay; and what steps he proposes to take to alter this distinction?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Mr. Churchill)Malta is not a home station, and a Staff captain there is paid at the rate stated in the question. As regards the effect of this upon the war gratuity of a temporary officer, I can add nothing to my reply of the 18th instant to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Armagh (North).
§ Captain REDMONDWould the right hon. Gentleman say why a Staff officer at Malta should be penalised as against a Staff officer in Whitehall?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am sure that is not the intention, but the working out of a Royal Warrant with regard to pay no doubt produces some anomalies in exceptional cases.
§ Captain REDMONDWill the right hon. Gentleman remedy this anomaly, and if not, why not?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIf I undertook to remedy every anomaly, I would be committing myself to a task far beyond my power.
§ Captain REDMONDWill the right hon. Gentleman not admit that it is a very serious anomaly, and that a Staff officer on active service should get at least as great a reward for his services as a Staff officer in Whitehall?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLWhitehall is just as near the fighting front as Malta.
§ 96. Captain REDMONDasked the Secretary of State for War whether, under existing regulations, regimental officers will receive considerably less war gratuity than general Staff officers of similar rank; whether this anomaly is due to the fact that in the case of the former the war gratuity is based upon so many days' pay for each year's service, without regard to allowances, and, in the latter, pay and allowances are treated as consolidated pay and the gratuity is based on the sum total of both; whether he is aware 36 of the dissatisfaction which this anomaly is causing, and what steps, if any, he proposes to take to remedy it?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to a similar question put by the hon. and gallant Member for North Armagh on Tuesday last. The amount of the respective gratuities is fixed under Article 497 of the Pay Warrant, and the only possible way of assimilating them now would be by levelling up to the maximum. As explained in my previous answer, I see no sufficient reason for taking that course, in view of the great expense entailed.
§ Captain REDMONDWill not the right hon. Gentleman admit that a regimental officer is entitled to equally great a gratuity as a Staff officer of the same rank?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI really cannot undertake to argue the merits of every decision in regard to relative pay and gratuities of all ranks in the Army across the floor of the House at Question Time. If a general case as to the emoluments of the Service is raised, I shall be glad to make a general reply dealing with one rank and station as against another, but there are all sorts of points that can be legitimately be taken against our system I give information upon them at Question Time, but I cannot argue them.
§ Captain REDMONDOn the general question, is not an officer who has been to the front in a regimental capacity, in his opinion entitled to as great a reward for his services as an officer who has given his services on the Staff?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLAs I say, I cannot argue the merits of a particular case across the floor of the House at Question Time.
§ 100. Mr. STEWARTasked the Secretary of State for War if he will state whether the amount of war gratuity given to officers of the Regular Army is considerably less than the gratuity granted to temporary Army officers, and will he issue a statement showing the differences; whether a temporary officer who has now joined the Regular Army will be paid his gratuity on the basis of his service as a temporary officer or as a Regular officer; and will he explain the reason why officers who have rendered similar services and accepted similar risks are not similarly rewarded?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLA statement of the gratuity issuable to officers of the Regular Army and to temporary officers would be too lengthy for a verbal answer. The basis of calculation is laid down in Article 497 of the Pay Warrant as regards temporary officers, and in Army Order 85 of 1919 as regards Regular officers. A temporary officer granted a Regular commission receives a gratuity as a Regular officer as laid down in Army Order 85. The gratuity issuable to the temporary officer forms part of his contract of service, and the scale was fixed after the South African War at a liberal figure to cover reinstatement in civil life. The gratuity to the Regular officers is a pure gratuity over and above his terms of service, and no question of reinstatement in civil life arises.
§ Mr. STEWARTWhy should not the Regular officers get the same consideration as the temporary officers?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI think there is a good deal to be said from the point of view of my hon. Friend, but I am not prepared, as at present advised, to meet the case.
§ Captain REDMONDAnother anomaly.