SPECIAL SEPARATION GRANTS.

HC Deb 11 March 1941 vol 369 cc1133-4

14 and 15. Mr. Bellenger

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether the special separation grants made to soldiers, whose families reside outside the sterling area, of 21s. per week in the case of officers, and 13s. in the case of soldiers, relate to wives only or whether any additional sum is paid to children;

(2) what is the nature of the conditions to be prescribed by the War Office for the withdrawal of special separation grants in the case of soldiers' families resident in enemy occupied country or outside the sterling area?

Captain Margesson

Special separation grants are made at the rates of 21s. and 13s. a week in the case of an officer and a soldier, respectively, irrespective of the size of his family, except that, where allowances would, under normal conditions, have been issuable in respect of one motherless child, only one-half of the rates is given. Permission to withdraw the special separation grant placed to an officer's or soldier's provisional credit under the scheme to which my hon. Friend refers, will normally be given only when the family returns to the sterling area, or when the restrictions on remittances to places outside that area are removed.

Mr. Bellenger

I do not think the right hon. and gallant Gentleman has answered the latter Question as to the nature of the conditions, which are to be eventually laid down, under which an officer or soldier can withdraw these special grants.

Captain Margesson

I circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT, on 25th February, in reply to a Question put by the hon. Member, the general conditions of grants in respect of these officers and soldiers.

Mr. Bellenger

In that Reply the right hon. and gallant Gentleman merely said that the amount provisionally granted would be withdrawable only when the War Office sanctioned it and under such conditions as might be prescribed. Does the right hon. and gallant Gentleman not consider that officers and soldiers, who are contributing a considerable amount of these grants, should know something in the provisions under which they can withdraw the grants?

Captain Margesson

The subject is really wrapped up in the question of returns of the family and the sterling areas. My hon. Friend will appreciate difficulties of transferring money from this country to outside.