HC Deb 01 April 1941 vol 370 cc852-3
39. Mr. R. C. Morrison

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered the letter, dated 19th March, from the general secretary, Fire Brigades Union, regarding inadequate compensation for injuries to auxiliary firemen C. E. J. Palmer and W. H. Garrett, of the London Fire Service, and to other firemen in similar circumstances; and whether he has any statement to make?

The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to (he Ministry of Home Security (Mr. Mabane)

Apart from a small sum which I understand was by inadvertence not paid in one of these cases but will now be paid, these two men received pay for the maximum period to which they were entitled under the improved injury pay conditions introduced last November. It would not, I regret, be possible to give retrospective effect to those conditions, as the Fire Brigades Union suggest in their letter, so as to cover all cases of incapacity arising from"war service injury" since the beginning of the war.

Mr. Morrison

In view of the considerable feeling that has been aroused among firemen about these cases, has any further attempt been made to meet the representations of the men to see whether an improvement can be effected?

Mr. Mabane

I think that the hon. Gentleman will agree that the concessions were valuable ones, and that when improvements in conditions are made almost invariably anomalies and hardships arise. A date had to be determined and a date was determined, and I am afraid there can be no variation.