§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give the date when the pay of carpenter-lieutenants and chief carpenters in the Royal Navy was last raised and the amount of the rise; whether these ratings are included in the concessions made last year to men in the Royal Navy; and, if not, seeing the character of their service and their responsibility, will he consider the advisability of raising their pay during the next financial year?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe rank of carpenter-lieutenant was established on the 1st April, 1903, and no change has been made in the scale of pay since then. The pay of chief carpenter was last raised on 1st April, 1896, the increase being from a flat rate of 9s. a day to a scale of from 10s. to 12s. a day by biennial increments of 6d.54W a day. The store allowance was increased from 6d. to 1s. a day from the same date. These ranks were not included in the concessions as regards pay made to officers and men of the Royal Navy in December, 1912, but a substantial benefit was conferred on chief carpenters as a whole by promotion to that rank after fifteen years' service as warrant officer, introduced from 1st April, 1912. It is not proposed to alter the present rates of pay.