§ Major WARINGasked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give an assurance that the power vested in an officer commanding-in-chief to secure passages on board any of His Majesty's ships at the public expense is in no case exercised in favour of the particular general's own family, and that the privilege is only accorded to such persons whose visit to husband or relative is a matter of urgency and who are not possessed of the large pay or private means to defray the cost of the journey in a passenger ship?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI have been asked to answer this question. As stated in my reply to my hon. arid gallant Friend's question of 13th August, passages for the wives of officers and men in His Majesty's ships are only granted with the prior approval of the Admiralty, or if circumstances prevent reference thereto, with the approval of the Commander-in-Chief on the spot, that is to say, the naval Commander-in-Chief. There is, therefore, no power vested in a general officer of the Army to secure such passages for his own family or that of any other officer. Such passages are only granted infrequently, and in every instance the discretion of the Admiralty or the Commander-in-Chief is exercised with reference to the particular circumstances of each case.