§ Sir A. HUNTER-WESTONasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what would be the amount required in the ensuing financial year, 1922–23, to extend the provisions of Army Order No. 325, of September, 1919 (which gave to Army pensioners the equivalent of that given to Navy pensioners under the recommendations of the Jerram scale), to all pensioners, instead of confining its benefits only to those mentioned in that Army Order, which excludes pre-War pensioners; and what would be the probable cost in each of the next succeeding 10 years, by which time, presumably, practically the whole of these old pre-War pensioners will have died out?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSIt is not possible to answer this question 1029W accurately without making a special investigation, but on the information available, and making some allowance for a corresponding saving in old age pensions, the cost for Army pensioners in 1922–23 would be between £300,000 and £400,000. I cannot say at what rate the charge would diminish in subsequent years. It must be remembered that to increase these men's pensions would give rise to demands for similar increases to other large classes of pensioners.