HC Deb 29 July 1947 vol 441 cc243-4
29. Mr. Mitchison

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the duties of the officer i/c Central Moribund Accounts

Mr. Bellenger

The Central Moribund Accounts Office has been set up to maintain and administer the accounts of all non-effective soldiers, that is, soldiers released from the Service, discharged unfit, or who have died.

Mr. Mitchison

How does the right hon. Gentleman decide when an account is dead?

Mr. Bellenger

When it is extinguished.

Mr. J. Langford-Holt

Will the right hon. Gentleman tell the House how many persons are employed under the officer-in-charge of this Department?

Mr. Bellenger

I could not do that without notice, but it is not a large number.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Can the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that the title of this appointment is not the new title of the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Mr. Bellenger

If hon. Members will look at this matter in a serious way, they will understand that the whole purpose of creating this Department is to relieve the Pay Office of a lot of matter which will disappear in a short space of time. We do not want to clutter up the living tiles with what we consider to be dead or nearly dead matter.