§ Colonel WARDEasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Sergeant Dornan, No. 11,565, Army Service Corps, was invalided from Salonika with mental breakdown, presumably attributable to seventeen months' service in all at the front; that he was transferred from Netley Hospital to the Hampshire County Asylum on 18th April, where he is apparently detained as a pauper patient; that his wife and two boys had been left by the military authorities from that date to the present time entirely without funds, although repeated applications have been made on their behalf; and whether arrangements will be made to prevent the discharge of patients suffering from mental breakdown attributable to service to pauper asylums, and that the sum of £l a week, according to the Army Order of 6th May, usually payable to the men when separation allowance has been paid on their behalf, will be paid in such cases to the wife pending a decision about the man's pension in order to avoid the necessity of the man's family having to apply for parish relief?
§ Mr. TENNANTI am making inquiries, and will let my hon. and gallant Friend know the result in due course.
§ Mr. HOGGEasked how many of the 15,000 men and 800 widows who were receiving no pension on 9th March are now receiving a pension?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe work of dealing with current claims is so heavy, and the difficulty of providing additional trained staff is so great, that I fear I cannot give my hon. Friend the statistical information for which he asks. In all cases in which548W there is ground for thinking that a pension is issuable under the revised conditions, application for reconsideration should be made by the applicant to the Secretary, Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
§ Mr. HOGGEasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the objection of the War Office to grant separation allowance outside of the one month limit or on the death of a first son where the second serving son applies for it on the death of his brother is a financial or administrative one?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe reasons which make it necessary to apply a time limit for dependants' claims were stated in reply to questions put by the hon. Member for the County of Anglesey on 31st May a soldier who did not claim on enlistment because the full rate of separation allowance was already being issued in respect of a brother is not debarred from making a claim on the death of the brother.
§ Mr. JOWETTasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if a soldier who previous to his enlistment has supported his mother in his own home along with his wife and two children is entitled to claim separation allowance for his wife and all three of his dependants; and, if not, will he say why this is not allowed?
§ Mr. FORSTERNo, Sir. Separation allowance is not issuable for the mother in the circumstances mentioned, because in the case of dependants other than wives and children the Government scheme restricted the issue of separation allowance to the dependant of unmarried soldiers. Under the Regulations issued by the Statutory Committee it is competent for local committees to grant a special allowance in respect of a married soldier's dependants who are ineligible for separation allowance from Army funds.