§ 33. Mr. A. HENDERSONasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the special campaign pension payable in respect of service in the South African War is not paid to volunteers, militia men, or yeomanry; and whether he would consider the payment of the pension to all men in need who served in the South African War?
Mr. COOPERSpecial campaign pensions have always been restricted to ex-regular soldiers, because they are regarded as being of the nature of service pensions. Apart from this point of principle, the cost of extending the pension to non-regular soldiers, which could not be confined to survivors of the South African War, would, I am afraid, be prohibitive.
§ Mr. HENDERSONCan the right hon. Gentleman say what the estimated cost would be?
Mr. COOPERNo, I cannot say that, but it would apply to soldiers of the Great War as well as to soldiers of the South African War, and although we are now abandoning the principle, should there be a future war, which we hope will not take place, we shall not issue special campaign pensions which would apply to survivors of the late war who reached the age of 65.