§ LORD BERESFORDMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government whether they can state the terms of pay allowed to officers and men of the British and Indian Establishment who are now prisoners of war.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYMy Lords, the general rule is that Staff officers receive Staff pay for 61 days, after which they receive regimental pay if of a regimental rank, or half pay if above regimental rank. Regimental officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men continue to be credited with full pay. Officers already drawing field allowance will continue to be eligible for it, and Staff officers will become eligible from the date of their coming on to regimental pay or half pay. 1035 Field allowance will continue to be dealt with by the paymaster. There is one thing I do not feel quite happy about in this answer, and that is that those above regimental rank should only receive half pay. I am going into this question to sec whether, as a matter of fact, this does not act harshly.
§ LORD BERESFORDWill my noble friend go into the case particularly of the English officers?
§ THE EARL OF DERBYI am speaking only of the English officers. Lord Islington will answer for the Indian officers.
§ LORD BERESFORDWith your Lordships' permission I should like to ask about the English officers, particularly with regard to General Townshend. The only message he has received from the Government after his magnificent defence was one putting him on half pay. The English officers with him have also been put on half pay.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYNo, they have not. Had my noble friend been good enough to listen to my answer, he would have seen that they have not. Regimental officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men continue to be credited with full pay; so are all other officers except Staff officers, who receive their Staff pay for 61 days, and after that they lapse into regimental pay. It is just a case like General Townshend's that I think is unfair. When above regimental rank they should receive full pay.
§ LORD ISLINGTONMy Lords, before the fall of Kut the rules in force regarding the pay of officers taken prisoners while on the Indian Establishment were as follow:—Officers of the Indian Army should draw full pay for 61 days, and then the rates of Indian Army leave pay ordinarily given on leave out of India. These rates are sterling rates depending on length of service, and may be said to approximate roughly to about half of the officer's full pay. There was a proviso that in any case an Indian Army officer should not get less than a British Service officer, and this became operative in the cases of most junior officers.
Since the fall of Kut the Secretary of State for India, in communication with the War Office and the Government of 1036 India, has reconsidered these rules, which pending any fresh decision applied to the prisoners taken there. It has now been decided that Indian Army officer prisoners, after 61 days on full pay, will receive full pay of rank plus half the Staff pay attaching to their ordinary employment. Speaking very roughly, this will on an average give them about five-sixths of their full ordinary emoluments. Staff officers still on the cadre of a regiment will, after 61 clays, be treated as regimental officers. This follows the War Office practice.
To show my noble and gallant friend the change that has taken place, I will give him a few comparative figures. In the case of a lieutenant-colonel commanding a battalion, his emoluments on field service and for first 61 days while a prisoner amount to £1,219. Under the old rule while a prisoner, after 61 days full pay, he would receive £700 a year; under the new scheme of emoluments while a prisoner, after 61 days, he will receive £964. In the case of a captain, £510 represent his full emoluments on field service. He would receive under the old system while prisoner £370; he will receive under the new arrangement £425. A second-lieutenant, his full pay being £323, would receive while prisoner £228 under the old arrangement; under the new system he will get £280. My noble and gallant friend will see that there is a considerable addition under the new scheme.
§ LORD BERESFORDI thank my noble friend for his very satisfactory reply.