§ Mr. Naylorasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that by the terms of Middle East Routine Order 1220/43, with effect from 1st December, 1943, combining colonial and field service allowances, men serving in the Sudan, if below the rank of warrant officer, suffer a reduction of their allowance, while officers obtain an increase; and if he will take steps to remedy this grievance.
Sir J. GriģģMediterranean allowance combining colonial and field allowance for troops in the Mediterranean area was introduced in order to remove anomalies of treatment as between troops in different parts of the area and to simplify administration. In a change of this kind involving many stations and varied conditions of service some disadvantage as compared with previous treatment is inevitable in certain cases. On the whole the troops in the Mediterranean area benefited by the change. I should add that there is no evidence that there is justification, in war-time conditions, for men in the Sudan to receive a higher allowance than men serving elsewhere in the Mediterranean area.