§ 42. Commander Maitlandasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that Merchant Navy officers who contribute to the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund are not credited for the periods they spend attending the Royal Naval Reserve, unless they are in receipt of pay from the ship owner for that period; and whether the Admiralty, as the employing authority for the time that these officers are with the Naval Reserve, will agree to contribute the employers' share of contribution.
Mr. DugdaleThe position of these officers in this respect has been carefully considered by the Admiralty on a number of occasions. It is established policy that the State should not accept liability for the financial commitments incurred in civil life by members of the Forces and, while I wholeheartedly appreciate the value of the services rendered by Royal Naval Reserve officers, it would not be possible to treat them differently from other Reservists by giving them what would be, in effect, an increase in emoluments.
§ Commander MaitlandIs not this an example of the Admiralty revealing itself in the role of an exceedingly bad employer?