§ Captain CLIVEasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that, as the result of the permission granted to the honorary secretary of the St. George, Hanover Square, branch of the Soldiers and Sailors Families Association to receive the pensions of those Army pensioners in the workhouse of that district who agreed to the arrangement and to pay them out weekly instead of quarterly, seven out of nine pensioners who were previously in the workhouse have since maintained themselves outside; and whether, seeing that the post offices now pay out old age pensions weekly, he can arrange for Army pensions to be paid in a similar manner, and the benefits found to accrue therefrom extended to all parts of the country?
§ Colonel SEELYI am glad to learn that the arrangements made with the branch of the association in question have been so satisfactory. I am considering whether some means can be devised for making more generally known amongst those who are good enough to take an interest in individual pensioners the arrangements referred to by my predecessor in reply to a question put by my hon. Friend the Member for the North Division of Salford on 25th February, 1908. The arrangements referred to are as follows:—
- (a) The payment monthly of all pensioners who desire to be so paid, or where it is clearly shown that, owing to their thriftless or drunken habits, such payment would be advisable.
- (b) The payment weekly of pensioners in cases where they become chargeable to the guardians, and the latter recommend and are willing to undertake the issue in that way.
- (c) The payment weekly of pensioners by responsible persons who are willing to receive the pension quarterly and dole it out weekly to the pensioner.