§ Mr. THORNEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the estimated cost of pensions payable to dependants of those who lost their lives in the submarine M.2 disaster over a period of 12 months, showing the amount payable on behalf of each deceased officer and rating?
Lord STANLEYThe cost of the pensions, etc., payable to the widows and children of the officers and men for 12 months is estimated to be £2,700 (approximately). The total for the relations of men is £2,227 12s. 5d. and for officers £476, but the latter does not include the cost of educational allowances which it may be found possible to grant. The Regulations under which the awards for officers and men are made are set out in the Appendix to the Navy List, and 1287W it will be seen that the awards to the widows of men depend partly on their age and partly on the rating held by the deceased. In the case of M.2, the awards for men range from a minimum of 10s. ed. a week to a maximum of 22s., and in addition 5s. a week is payable in respect of each child under 16 years of age. The annual cost of the pensions payable to dependants other than the widows and children cannot at present be stated, as the awards are conditional on the result of inquiry in each individual case.