HC Deb 21 September 1943 vol 392 cc14-5
34. Sir I. Fraser

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give an assurance that, where an officer or other rank receives promotion in the field and is disabled or killed, he will, in all cases, recognise the rank so that the appropriate higher rate of pension becomes payable?

Sir J. Grigg

"Rank" for the purpose of assessing pension awards in respect of disablement or death, due to service in the present war, is the war substantive or substantive rank held on the termination of service or, if higher, the paid acting or temporary rank held at the time of the wound or injury, etc. The same principle applies to both officers and other ranks. In the normal way acting rank becomes paid rank, with retrospective effect, after it has been held continuously for 21 days. Thus only if the casualty occurs in the course of these 21 days is the acting rank not recognised for pension purposes. Under active service conditions there must be many occasions on which a member of the Forces is called on to perform the duties of a higher rank, and I hope my hon. and gallant Friend will agree that it is reasonable to require that such higher position should have been held continuously for a minimum period before it can count for pension.

Sir I. Fraser

Is that the position where, owing to the exigencies of service, a man is called upon to take higher responsibility, perhaps at a critical time, and three or four days later he is killed? There can be so few of these cases that I ask whether it is not most ungenerous to give pensions in respect of those men at a lower rate when they in fact held a higher office at a critical time?

Sir J. Grigg

I should have thought that the requirement of a period of only 21 days before acting rank qualified for pension was reasonable in all the circumstances.

Sir I. Fraser

From the point of view of the widow or of the disabled man, who is going to be disabled for the rest of his life, does it matter much whether the man is killed or disabled on the 19th day or the 22nd?

Sir J. Grigg

That argument could be extended into a great number of fields, where it would reduce itself to nothing.