§ 31. Rear-Admiral Beamishasked the Secretary of State for War whether pensions to officers' widows are now awarded on the basis of the full rank of the husband who was serving in a lower rank when he lost his life; and in how many cases pensions have been awarded, since the outbreak of war, to widows of such deceased officers?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions (Mr. Paling)I have been asked to reply. In the case of an officer who loses his life during, and as a result of, service in the present war, any award to the widow under the war pensions code will be based on the substantive or war substantive rank the officer held, provided that if, on the date he was killed, he held higher paid temporary or paid acting rank, the award may be determined by such higher rank. In the case of a retired officer reemployed, the award is determined by the rank in which he was employed, or by the rank appropriate to the appointment in which he was employed, on the date he was killed. As regards the second part of the Question, I regret that the information for which the hon. Member asks is not available.
§ Rear-Admiral BeamishIs there not a distinction between officers of high rank who may be serving as volunteers in the Home Guard, and those who are recalled for service and who may be serving in a rank junior to that which they had previously attained?
§ Mr. PalingPerhaps the hon. and gallant Gentleman will put that Question on the Paper.