§ 50. Major GLYNasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will reconsider the drafting of the statement regarding pre-War pensions made on the 10th of May last in order that the words those in receipt of pensions assessed at pre-War rates may be substituted for pre-War pensioners; and if, seeing that the context of the statement was intended to express the Government's decision to relieve certain exceptional cases of hardship rather than to lay down a dividing line between the 3rd August and the 5th August, 1914, whether this alteration will involve any change of principle?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Baldwin)I beg to refer the hon. and gallant Member to the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920, the Royal Warrant of the 16th August, 1920, and the Order in Council of the 13th August, 1920. It is not the case, as he seems to suppose, that persons in receipt of pensions assessed at pre-War rates receive no benefit unless their pensions were 1367 granted before 4th August, 1914. They receive the benefit granted by the Act and other instruments, subject to a maximum limit of the post-War rates of pension. This last proviso applies only to a few cases in which there are certain compensating advantages for which pre-War pensioners are not eligible.