HC Deb 26 January 1943 vol 386 cc356-7
47. Mr. Bellenger

asked the Lord-President of the Council whether, in deciding to exclude officers' wives from the new ante-natal children's allowances recently granted to the wives of other ranks, His Majesty's Government took into account the present heavy expense of maternity cases and the greatly increased cost of layettes and perambulators?

The Lord-President of the Council (Sir John Anderson)

The pre-natal allowance was given as a general contribution towards the additional expenses falling on a household in the later months of the wife's pregnancy. These expenses are of various kinds, and vary from case to case, but His Majesty's Government had in mind amongst others those particular items to which the hon. Member refers. The allowance was given to other ranks and ratings in order to meet those cases where the need for special assistance is greatest.

Mr. Bellenger

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that need, especially among junior officers, is just as great as, and sometimes greater than among other ranks, and why do the Government make this unwise discrimination between two classes of men who are serving their country?

Sir J. Anderson

I recognise the force of the hon. Member's point, but the Government in coming to their decision took account of the representations made to them in favour of making adequate provision for the wives of soldiers who, by reason of their low rate of pay, were unable to make adequate arrangements for their wives during this difficult period. Those are the exact terms of the representations which were made. Further, there was this practical difficulty. It would have been quite impossible to extend to officers the arrangements made for other ranks, in view of the fact that a high proportion of officers both in the Army and in the Air Force are serving under the old code. It would be rather difficult to make an officer's remuneration dependent upon the size of his family.