50. Mr. Thorneycroftasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the recent judgment in the courts which makes it obligatory on local authorities to make Service pay up to civil pay for all their employees who are serving in His Majesty's Forces, he will now consider some scheme for post-war credits whereby all persons serving with His Majesty's Forces shall not be worse off financially than they would have been had they remained in their civil occupations?
§ Sir K. WoodI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Ayr Burghs (Sir T. Moore) on 26th January. I am not able to entertain a suggestion that the taxpayer should make up to non-Government employees the difference between Service pay and peace-time earnings. In making up the difference to Government employees the Government are acting as employer and doing only what many private employers do.