§ 15. Lieut.-Colonel WINDSOR-CLIVEasked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that officers who, on transfer to the Indian Army, forfeited nine months' service for promotion only under Army Order VII, of 28th June, 1917, are being denied the increments of pay, to which they are entitled on completing 15 years' service, until they have completed 15 years and nine months' service; and, seeing that such action is contrary to the conditions laid down in the above-mentioned Army Order, will he look into the question?
§ Mr. BENNIf the hon. and gallant Member will allow me I will circulate a statement showing the practice and the reasons for it.
§ Following is the statement:
§ The terms of the Army Order of 1917 clearly stated the intention of the Order, which was that non-regular officers appointed direct to the Indian Army should not be more advantageously placed than officers appointed after nine months at Cadet Colleges. At that time promotion alone was in question, since pay was governed by rank without reference to length of service. Since then, increments of pay after 15 years' commissioned service have been introduced. To maintain the intention of the Army Order, it has been ruled that service for these increments should be reckoned in the same way as service for promotion, since otherwise officers appointed direct might be drawing more pay than officers from Cadet Colleges who have been graded as senior to them.