THE EARL OF MAYOMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government what steps have been taken or are contemplated to provide suitable training or instruction for disabled officers who may require it. We now draw our officers from all classes of the community, and a great many people think that many of those officers would like to be instructed during their convalescence, either being given technical instruction or being taught foreign languages, say Spanish, or Russian, or Italian. I should like to ask, Does the existing Pension Warrant provide for such training? I do not know that it does, but I believe there is a new Warrant out which may provide for it. Also I should like to ask, Are the Government making inquiries as to what forms of instruction would be most acceptable and useful to these officers? If so, have any classes for officers been opened and in what subjects, and has the help of the Board of Education been sought in this matter? One can understand the awful boredom there is in convalescence, and it would be most useful to these disabled officers if some form of education could be provided. Even if lectures could be given on certain subjects it would be a great help. But the main thing is to find out whether they want to be taught technically or in other ways, such as languages.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF CRAWFORD)My Lords, this matter was 154 carefully gone into by the old Statutory Committee, and arrangements have been made with the London Education Officer as to the provision of classes so far as London is concerned. The Committee had a carefully-prepared scheme drawn up as to possible openings for disabled officers. They consulted the Civil Service Commissioners, the Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise, the Board of Education, and the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. They also considered possible openings with land agents. But I regret to say that only four applications from disabled officers were received. These particular officers are being trained as follows—one as a doctor at a hospital, another is undergoing a course of instruction in medical electrical work, and in the other two cases the Board of Agriculture have been asked to find places in a suitable agricultural college.
The, noble Earl referred to the new Royal Warrant. That actually came into force yesterday, and it offers further facilities for maintenance during training. It is hoped that this will encourage officers to make good any impairment of physical efficiency which may have resulted from their service by the attainment of higher qualifications so far as this is possible. If the noble Earl will refer to Article 7 of the Royal Warrant and to the First Schedule of the Warrant he will see, I think, that the point which he has raised has been taken into sympathetic consideration.
I would add that it must be remembered that where there is no question of manual labour or manipulative skill physical impairment will not in many cases prevent the return of an officer to his pre-war employment or his entry into a business or profession, and the officer having before the war completed his education will not, we hope, find it necessary to begin his education afresh. In the future no doubt there will be a number of cases in which officers will desire to complete an interrupted education, and in so far as such completion can be considered as required to counteract the disadvantages of the officers' disability it will be provided by the Ministry. The question of arranging special courses at the University dealing with perhaps linguistic education, to which the noble Earl referred, is now under discussion. No serious difficulty is anticipated in getting training for any officer who will accept it.