§ 47. Mr. Lipsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider his refusal to pay post-war credits of £19 18s. 11d. to an ex-Service man, age 55, who lost a leg in the first world war, since this man is now in straitened financial circumstances as a result of illness extending over three years, and is suffering from cancer of the lungs for which, after three attempts, the surgeon decided it was inadvisable to operate.
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Stafford Cripps)The payment of postwar credits is governed by the provisions of the Finance Acts of 1946 and 1947, which limit their release to men over 65 and women over 60, and I am afraid that I have no power to authorise any exception in favour of particular cases.
§ Mr. LipsonBut will not the Chancellor seek those powers, in view of the fact that it is really cruel to refuse to pay post-war credits to this man; and is not the time long overdue when hardship should be recognised as a condition under which postwar credits should be paid?
§ Sir S. CrippsWe will certainly take that into account when we make any alteration in the law.