§ Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any grants to cover early emergencies have been made to the widows of those who lost their lives in Submarine M 2 from the fund at his disposal to deal with special cases?
Lord STANLEYSo far as the widows of officers are concerned, the necessary steps have been taken for the award of pensions on the attributable scale and of children's allowances, but no question has arisen of any special grant in addition to cover early emergencies. For the widows of ratings, the Regulations provide for the continued payment of marriage allowance, together with allotment at the minimum rate necessary to qualify for marriage allowance, for a period of 28 days after the death of their husbands. Pensions have been awarded to the majority of the widows, and it is anticipated that the investigations of the claims in the remaining eases will be completed in time to enable the awards to be made before the period of 28 days expires. Three widows were not entitled to marriage allowance—their husbands being under the qualifying age—and pensions have been awarded to them, and are in course of payment.