§ Colonel ASHLEYasked the Prime Minister what increases of separation and dependants' allowances, in addition to those which came into operation on the 1st October last, have been sanctioned by the War Cabinet for the wives and dependants of sailors, soldiers, and airmen?
§ Mr. P. A. HARRISasked the Prime Minister whether the Government will reconsider the scale of separation allowances and consider the possibility of extending the additional rate to all children within the age, withdrawing the limitation which confines it to the first two children?
§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Prime Minister whether he is now in a position to state what the increases in separation allowances are?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe War Cabinet has approved of the following recommendations of the Cabinet Committee which has been reconsidering the present rates of separation allowances payable to wives and children and other dependants; and the issue of allowances to parents of unmarried apprentices, students, and youths on progressive wages: 291W
- (a) That the flat rate now payable to wives should remain at the present figure.
- (b) That when a childless wife is, for any reason, unable to work, an addition of 6s. 6d. shall be made by the local war pension committees to the flat rate.
- (c) That with reference to other dependants who are unable to work, the supplemental allowances now payable by local war pensions committees up to 33⅓ per cent. of the assessed dependance should be increased to 50 per cent. of the assessed dependance.
- (d) That where there is one child under the age of fourteen in the family, the weekly rate of separation allowance shall be increased by 1s.
- (e) That where there are two children under the age of fourteen in the family, the weekly rate of separation allowance shall be increased by 2s.
- (f) That where there are three children under the age of fourteen in the family, the weekly rate of separation allowance shall be increased by 4s.
- (g) That where there are four children under the age of fourteen in the family, the weekly rate of separation allowance shall be increased by 5s., with an increase of 1s. for the fifth and each subsequent child.
- (h) For motherless children under fourteen years of age, the weekly rate of separation allowance for one child maintained in a home shall be increased by 1s.
- (i) That the weekly rate of separation allowance for the second and subsequent motherless children maintained in one home shall be increased by 1s. for each child.
- (j) That the flat rate allowance of 5s. a week shall be payable to parents of unmarried sailors, soldiers, and airmen who have attained the age of eighteen years and who were under twenty-six on enlistment.*
* Owing to administrative difficulties, there may be some delay in the first payments.
292W(k) That the new flat rate increases shall be payable as from the first pay day in January, 1919, and the supplemental increases referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c) and the parents allowances referred to in paragraph (j) will be payable as from the first pay day in November, 1918.
2. It is estimated that the cost of the increases to separation allowances will be, approximately, £9,765,000 for the three Services, but it is impossible to estimate with any accuracy the amount which will be payable for the supplemental rate to the wife without children under the new proposals. A sum of £500,000 has, however, been included in the above total, as an estimate of the amount which will be payable.
The estimated cost due to the lowering of the age at which parents' allowances are payable is £6,500,000.
The total estimated cost is, therefore, £16,265,000.