§ Mr. ANDERSONasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Constable Crich, of the Sheffield Police Force, who joined the Army and was killed on active service; whether he is aware that the constable paid for eight years into a pension fund available after twenty-five years' service, but which under certain circumstances may be used for the purpose of returning at an earlier date the payments made by 1668W the constable; whether he is aware that the Watch Committee, in the absence of special sanction from Parliament, has declined to pay to the widow the deductions from her husband's wages which he assured her she would receive in the event of his death; and whether such Parliamentary sanction will be given?
§ Sir JOHN SIMONI have made inquiry about this case, and I am informed that Mrs. Crich has not made any application for the return to her of the deductions mentioned in the question; but in any case the Watch Committee has no power, to make the payment. If the allowance granted her by the War Office had been less than the pension she would have received had her husband been killed in police service the Watch Committee could have suplemented the Army allowance; but in this ease the Army allowance, which is 20s. 6d. a week, is greater than the maximum police pension.