§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India what is the estimated annual saving to the Indian Exchequer in the payment of Indian Army pensions in the United Kingdom owing to the difference in the exchange between 1s. 4d. to the rupee and the present rate?
§ Mr. FISHER (for Mr. Montagu)The payments in question amounted to about £1,500,000 in 1919–20. The difference between the rupee equivalents of this sum at 1s. 4d. and at the present rate of exchange, say, 1s. 7½d., is Rs. 4,039,000 or about £330,000.
§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India why Government of India Army Department Order No. 790, of 23rd July, 1918, was issued with retrospective effect only from the 1st December, 1916, instead of for the whole period of the War; and whether he will issue instructions for the cancellation of paragraph 2 of this Order?
§ Mr. FISHERThe date was fixed to cover the first case that came to notice. If my hon. and gallant Friend will give me particulars of any cases which are adversely affected by the restriction I will consider them.
§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India, considering that a consistent rate of increase has been maintained in the revised pensions for officers of the British Service, for what reason has a corresponding rate of increase not been maintained in the revised rates of pensions for British officers of the Indian Army, thus depriving the officers of the Indian Army of the extra pension hitherto awarded for long service in India?
§ Mr. FISHERUnder the revised rules the rate of increase of pension for officers of the Indian Army above the rank of lieutenant-colonel is less than in the British Service, as it was decided to limit the maximum for all grades of general officer to that laid down for the British Service.