HL Deb 12 February 1963 vol 246 cc883-5

2.43 p.m.

LORD BARNBY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in connection with the recently announced increase of Service Pensions, this is to embrace payments as Pensions to Polish ex-combatants resident in this country, consideration for which was foreshadowed by a statement in this House on March 21, 1962.]

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (LORD CARRINGTON)

My Lords, the arrangements which are being made to apply the provisions of the latest pensions increase measure to Service pensioners will not cover Polish ex-Servicemen. Very careful consideration was given last year to the possibility of granting pensions to the Poles. The Government decided that they could not justify this course, but that it would be right to offer some further measure of assistance to those of them who may be in distressed circumstances. A grant of £50,000, to be reviewed annually, has therefore been made available for this purpose as from January 1, 1963.

LORD BARNBY

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, is it to be understood, since these pro- posals are based on cases of hardship, that even if the £50,000 should bring forward other serious cases of hardship the figure is rigidly to be restricted to that? May I also ask the noble Lord whether, in view of his own sympathetic consideration of this matter when it was debated in your Lordships' House last year, he can hold out any better hope of getting an amount larger than it is now?

LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, we did, as the noble Lord says, have a debate on this subject in your Lordships' House last year, and it was largely due to the powerful speeches made by noble Lords, himself included, that the Government decided that a grant of £50,000 should be given. This started only on January 1, 1963, and I do not think there is any case for making an increase.

LORD HENDERSON

My Lords, would not the noble Lord agree with me that even this decision is rather mean considering the services rendered by the Poles during the last war on the side of the Allies?

LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, we argued this question very fully and I do not think the noble Lord would expect me to agree with his supplementary. I think the £50,000 which the Government have granted goes a long way to meeting the case which was put by noble Lords in all quarters of the House.

LORD BARNBY

My Lords, could the noble Lord add to his reply some indication of the mechanism through which the cases and organisations were considered? It would be helpful, I think, if he could indicate this.

LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, the grant is being administered by the British Legion.

LORD REA

My Lords, would the noble Lord agree that although this subject was debated at length considerable disappointment was expressed at the smallness of the figure? Could he give any hope of an increase in the future?

LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, the noble Lord the Leader of the Liberal Party is wrong. There was no disappointment expressed at the figure during the debate. The £50,000 was granted largely as a result of the speeches made by the noble Lords on all sides of the House during that debate, and it started only on January 1 this year.

LORD BARNBY

My Lords, I should like to voice my appreciation of the noble Lord's personal help in securing this aid for these unfortunate people who fought for us in the way they did during the war.