HC Deb 06 November 1930 vol 244 cc1039-45
Sir SAMUEL HOARE (by Private Notice)

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the amount of pension or gratuity to which each of the dependants of the victims of R.101 is entitled?

The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Mr. Montague)

With the permission of the right hon. Baronet, as the table for which he asks is a long one, I would propose to indicate the awards in a few typical cases and circulate full information in the OFFICIAL REPORT as to the awards already completed.

Excluding the late Secretary of State and his personal servant, the personnel on board R.101 fell into three classes for the purposes of these awards:—

  1. (1) Serving officers and men of the Royal Air Force;
  2. (2) Civilians who were not workmen within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act;
  3. (3) Civilians who were workmen within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act.
The awards to the dependants of Royal Air Force personnel are determined by the King's Regulations and Air Council Instructions. Under these, the widow of a Wing Commander receives a yearly pension of £180, a gratuity of £450, and a compassionate allowance for each child of £24 a year. The widow of a Flying Officer receives £90 a year and a gratuity of £150, with an allowance of £24 a year for each child. In addition, an education allowance not exceeding £35 year may also be awarded, subject to certain conditions as to pecuniary need, etc., to children over the age of eight. This normally ceases at the age of 18. The widow of a Flight Sergeant receives 22s. a week, plus an allowance of 5s. a week for each child. The child's allowance normally ceases at the age of 16, and the widow's pension is then reduced to 15s. a week until she reaches the age of 40, when it is increased to 22s. a week; when she reaches the age of 60 it is again raised to 24s. 6d. a week.

Awards to the widows and children of the civilians coming under category (2) are made under the Treasury Warrant of the 17th January, 1919. The pension or annual allowance awardable to the widow under this Warrant is one-quarter of the annual salary of her late husband. The children under 18 years of age are eligible for allowances, which are payable up to that age, but the widow's pension may not exceed £300 a year, nor may the widow's pension and children's allowances taken together exceed that amount. The awards to this class vary between a pension of £95 7s. 6d. plus a children's allowance of £15 17s. 11d. for each of two children, to a pension of £300 a year. Two of the widows were entitled to a gratuity on their husbands' death, and no reduction has been made in the amount payable under the Warrant on this account, and, similarly, the full rate permissible under the Warrant has been paid to the widow of a scientific officer, who will also receive an insurance payment under the Federated Superannuation Scheme for Universities, in respect of which deductions were made from her husband's salary during his lifetime.

The dependants of civilians coming under category (3) are being awarded the compensation to which they are entitled under the Workmen's Compensation Act. Where these awards are of less value than those which might be given under the Treasury Warrant already referred

Following is the full information:

I.—Royal Air Force Personnel.
Awards made to the widows and children under King's Regulations and Air Council instructions for the Royal Air Force.
— Yearly rate of widow's pension. Widow's gratuity. Children's compassionate allowances.
? ?
Wing Commander Colmore … … … 180 450 £48 a year
(2 children).
Squadron Leader Rope … … … 140 300 None.
Squadron Leader O'Neill … … … 140 300 £48 a year
(2 children).
Flight Lieutenant Irwin … … … 100 200 None.
Flying Officer Steff … … … 90 150 £24 a year (1 child).

Children's compassionate allowances normally cease in the case of sons at age 18, and of daughters at age 21. An education allowance not exceeding £35 a year may also be awarded subject to certain conditions to children over the age of 8; it normally ceases at ace 18.

— Weekly rate of widow's pension. Widow's gratuity. Children's compassionate allowances.
Flight Sergeant Potter … … … … 22s. No entitlement. 1 at 5s. a week.

In the normal course the child's allowance will cease at age of 16 and the widow's pension will hen be reduced to 15s. a week until she is 40 when it will again be raised to 228. a week. At age 60 it will be increased to 24s. 6d. a week.

The Australian Government are dealing with the case of the Australian officer, Squadron Leader Palstra.

II.—Civilian Personnel.
Awards made under the Treasury Warrant of 17th January, 1919, to the widows and children of Civilians who were not workmen within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act.
Name of Deceased. Widow. Children.
Annual Allowance.† Gratuity. Number. Annual Allowance to each.‡.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
Atherstone, N. G. 191 12 6 — 2 31 18 9
Bishop, P. 257 2 10 1,038 7 1* 1 42 17 2
Brancker, Sir W. S., K.C.B., A.F.C. 300 0 0 — — —
Bushfield, A. 100 4 2 366 6 6 — —
Gent, W. R. 97 14 10 — 1 16 5 10
Giblett, M. A. 213 9 9 —§ 1 35 11 7
Hunt, G. W. 97 14 10 — 2 16 5 10
Johnston, E. L. 204 2 6 — 1 34 0 5
Keeley, S. T. 95 7 6 — 2 15 17 11
Richmond, V. C. 300 0 0 — — —
Scott, G. H. 300 0 0 (Including a wards to children.)
* Payable to legal personal representative.
† The annual allowances to widows cease on re-marriage.
‡ Children's allowances cease at age 18.
§ £3,981 8s. 5d. due under policies held under the Federated Superannuation Scheme for Universities.

to, supplementary awards are being made to make up the difference.

III.—Civilian personnel.
Awards made to dependants of members of the airship crew who were workmen within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act, including supplementary awards under Treasury Warrant of 17th January, 1919.
Name of deceased. Awards to widows and children. Awards to other dependants.
Workmen's Compensation Act award (lump sum). Annual allowance under Treasury Warrant.*
Atkins, G. K … No widow Under consideration.
Blake, R. … £529 16s. 0d. £55 18s. 6d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow).
Burton, C. A. … £300 £55 13s. 6d. —
Church, S. … No widow £100
Elliott, F … No Widow £150
Fergusson, C. J … £300 Under consideration —
Ford, H. E. … £484 4s. 0d. Under consideration Supplementary award in respect of a second (posthumous) child is under consideration.
(widow and 2 children).
Foster, P. A. … £569 14s. 0d. £56 6s. 5d. —
(widow and 2 children). (widow).
Graham, E. A. … No widow Under consideration.
Hasting, A. C. … No widow No evidence of other dependency.
Hodnett, W. F. … No widow No evidence of other dependency.
Key, T. A. A. … £300 £60 9s. 5d. Posthumous child expected.
King, W. H. … No widow £125
Littlekit, M. F. … No widow £125
Mason, H. C. … £600 £62 10s. 9d. —
(widow and 4 children). (widow)
£15 14s. 0d.
(4 children).
Megginson, T. W. … No widow Under consideration.
Moule, W. … £300 £56 10s. 5d. —
Norcott, A. W. … No widow £100
Oughton, L. F. … £456 £62 3s. 11d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow).
Radcliffe, W. G. … £600 £55 15s. 10d. —
(widow and 2 children). (widow).
Rampton, M. G. … No widow £270
Richardson, A. J. … £456 6s. 0d. £55 18s. 2d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow).
Rudd, E. G. … £300 £56 17s. 1d. —
Savidge, A. H. … £432 £60 4s. 9d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow).
Scott, S. E. … £302 8s. 0d. £59 5s. 4d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow)
£11 16s. 9d.
(child).
Short, G. W. … £504 18s. 0d. £60 7s. 1d. —
(widow and 1 child). (widow).
Taylor, C. … £600 £55 0s. 2d. —
(widow and 4 children). (widow)
£12 9s. 6d.
(children).
Watkins, A. H. … No widow Under consideration.
* Annual allowances to widows under the Treasury Warrant cease on re-marriage and those to children at age 18.

Sir S. HOARE

Do I understand, from the hon. Gentleman's answer, that there is no marked discrepancy between tie payments, whether gratuities or pensions, to the dependants of the civilian victims and of the service victims?

Mr. MONTAGUE

No; there is no marked discrepancy, and, as I have said, in the case of those that come under the Workmen's Compensation Act, they are all being brought under the Royal Warrant, or equivalent to that.

Mr. W. J. BROWN

Does the hon. Gentleman regard the Treasury Warrant, which restricts him, in the case of civil servants who are not workmen within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act, to a pension of one-fourth of the salary of the deceased wage-earner, as giving an adequate pension for the widow of a man who died in these circumstances; and is he prepared to get Parliamentary authority, if necessary, to award larger pensions in such cases?

Mr. SPEAKER

The hon. Member cannot ask the Minister what his opinion is on this matter.

Mr. BROWN

Will an opportunity be given to the House to discuss the adequacy of the provision which is possible under the Treasury Warrant?

Mr. MONTAGUE

I am afraid that that also is a question which I could not answer.

Mr. BROWN

The Prime Minister is here; will he answer it?