§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will say what is the position of widows of dockyardsmen called up for service and who are killed on the battlefield; are these widows entitled to any compensation for the loss they sustain owing to the stopping of the money they were receiving from the dockyard authorities; can he say whether, in the case of an established man, the money he has paid on behalf of his pension will be returned with interest to the widow; if not, what is to become of that money for which the Government have given no return; and will he also say what is the position with regard to compensation under the new scheme when a man is killed on the battlefield and is still receiving pay for his services as a dockyardsman?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe widow of a dockyardman who may be killed in action will be eligible to receive separation allowance and allotment for 26 weeks and, thereafter, a pension and allowances for her children, if any, at the same rates and under the same conditions as the widow of any sailor or soldier who was not employed in the dockyard in time of peace. The civil dockyard pay would of course cease at the man's death and there is no compensation payable on account of its discontinuance. But in addition to the naval benefits already mentioned, if she be the legal personal representative of an established workman, the widow is eligible for the same award under the Superannuation Acts as would have been made had her husband's death occurred owing to natural causes on the same date. If she be the dependant of a hired workman, her case would be considered for the award of a gratuity under Section 3 of the Superannuation Act, 1914. The dependants of a dockyardman who is killed in action while employed as a sailor or soldier are not entitled to any compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Act or scheme framed thereunder. But, as will be seen, the provision stated above is on a scale more liberal than workmen's compensation benefits.