§ 14. Lieut.-Colonel POWNALLasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that the pay warrant issued in 1919, dealing with the issue of corps pay to officers of the Royal Army Service Corps, stated that corps pay would only be issued to those officers who were associate members of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, or who possess such other qualifications as may be accepted by the Army Council; whether he is aware that up to the present the Army Council has not stated what other qualifications other than associate members of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers will be accepted; that no officer can be an associate member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers without paying a subscription to this body; will he say why officers, in order to obtain 794 corps pay, to which they are entitled, should have to subscribe to a civilian institute; and why officers of the Royal, Army Service Corps should be treated differently from officers of the Royal Engineers, in which corps all officers serving on the date of the warrant continue to draw corps pay?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSMy hon. and gallant Friend is under a misapprehension. To qualify for corps pay an officer must be qualified in the examination for associate membership of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, but he is not required actually to take up associate membership and there is, therefore, no question of compulsory payment of the institution's subscription. The question of allowing all Royal Army Service Corps officers (equally with all Royal Engineer officers) who were serving on the date of the Royal Warrant to draw corps pay without any special qualification was very fully considered in 1919, and, for reasons that are too lengthy to be dealt with by question and answer, the present rules were decided upon.
§ Lieut.-Colonel POWNALLWill the right hon. Gentleman say what are the qualifications, other than membership of the association, which are now accepted by the Army Council?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI shall be very glad to give to the hon. and gallant Member fuller particulars than are possible in an answer to a question.