§ Lieut.-Colonel Macnamaraasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, whereas persons accommodating evacuated children draw 10s. per week for the upkeep of one child and 8s. 6d. each for two or more children, a soldier's wife draws only 5s. for the first child, 3s. for the second and 2s. for others; and whether he will make arrangements so that a soldier's wife receives as much for her own children that she is looking after in her husband's absence as do those who have taken on the care of evacuated children?
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§ Sir V. WarrenderI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Derby (Mr. Noel-Baker) on Tuesday last.
§ Lieut.-Colonel Macnamaraasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a private soldier's wife receives 17s. per week marriage allowance for herself plus a compulsory allotment of 7s. a week from her husband, but that that sum very often leaves a small margin once rents have been paid; and what arrangements have been or are being made to ease hard cases where soldiers' wives are tied by leases to pay rents which they were able to meet from their husbands' civilian wages but not in the altered circumstances?
§ Sir J. Smedley Crookeasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the inadequacy of allowances at present made to the wives and families of serving soldiers whose net weekly income in some cases, after paying a rent of 10s. per week, is less than 15s. weekly wherewith to pay for food, clothing, coal, gas, etc.; and whether he will consider increasing the allowances to such an amount that the serving soldiers wife may not have to apply to the public assistance committee for help?
§ Sir V. WarrenderWhere the existence of financial obligations for rent, incurred prior to the husband being called up for military service, cause serious hardship, soldiers serving for the war have access to the Military Service (Special Allowances) Advisory Committee.