§ 38. Mr. ROBINSONasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he will consider altering the rules governing the award of pension to ex-service men who served in campaigns prior to 1914–18, so as to permit birth certificates instead of the date of birth given on attestation to be taken as evidence of present age?
§ Mr. COOPERNo, Sir. It is not proposed to alter the rule whereby the age given by a recruit on his first attestation is accepted as his correct age throughout his army career for various purposes, including the assessment of his pension. My hon. Friend will appreciate that it would not always be in the soldier's interest to make this alteration.
§ Mr. BURNETTWill the hon. Gentleman arrange that men, on attestation, shall be made aware that any understatement of age will prejudice their claim to pension?
§ Mr. COOPERI think it would naturally occur to anybody, if they were contemplating making a false statement, that it might have some deleterious effect on their later career.