HC Deb 24 July 1918 vol 108 cc1826-8W

Dependants' allowance is based on the net contribution made by the soldier to the parents before enlistment.

In the early days of the War many lads joined the Colours before they had begun to earn sufficiently, whether by reason of apprenticeship, secondary education, or other causes, and no dependants' allowance, therefore, was issuable to their parents. Others remained in civil life until called up under the Military Service Acts. Wages had risen rapidly meanwhile and they were able to make substantial weekly payments to their parents before enlistment, and dependants' allowance was payable on their becoming soldiers.

This is felt to be a great hardship from the point of view of the parents of the lad who early joined the Colours, and the hardship is accentuated by the fact that pension on the soldier's death depends on the allowance his parents drew while he was alive.

But so long as pre-enlistment contribution is maintained as the basis of the parents' allowance the grievance cannot fully be remedied. It has therefore been decided that an exception should be made in the class of case alluded to above, and that when the soldier has attained twenty-one years of age, by which time he would have been able to make some contribution to the family income, some allowance should be paid to the parents.

The possibility of investigation of individual cases was carefully considered. Such investigations could only be made by the Special Grants Committee and the local war pensions committees. After full consideration it was decided that not only was there not sufficient staff and accommodation available to deal with the very large amount of extra work involved, but that the inevitable delay in adjudicating on all cases would be so great that this course was impracticable.

It was therefore decided that there was no alternative to a flat rate being given to the parents of all sailors, soldiers, and airmen over the age of twenty-one and under the age of twenty-three. The War Cabinet have fixed this at 5s. a week.

Consequent upon this it will be necessary to bring up to the same level the allowances of less amount which are at present paid. The Special Grants Committee's powers will therefore be extended to enable them to grant allowances up to the full State separation allowance limit in any case where a parent can show that an allowance is necessary, and that an unmarried son who enlisted under the age of twenty-three would, if in civil life, have been in receipt of wages sufficient to enable him to make a contribution or a larger contribution to his parent. The actual amount of the allowance given by the Special Grants Committee would be governed by the circumstances of the case.

This flat-rate allowance is limited to those soldiers who have attained twenty-one years of age and who were under twenty-three on enlistment. Older men would have been in a position to earn full wages and to make full contribution to their parents' support.

The cost of this proposal is roughly, estimated to amount to £9,000,000 for the first year.

The cost of pensions is estimated at £2,600,000 for the year 1919–20, which will approximate to the maximum annual cost.

These allowances will date from the first pay day in October, but it must be recognised that owing to the immense number of cases to be dealt with, it will not be possible for the Army to begin payment before the 1st November, and it will be several months after that date before the revision of Army allowances is completed.

The decisions under this heading are summarised as follows:

  1. (a) That a minimum allowance of 5s. a week shall be payable on account of every soldier, sailor or airman when he reaches the age of twenty-one while serving, or if he joins after that age and was under twenty-three on enlistment, and that the allowance already being given on the basis of dependence, if less than that amount, should be made up to it in the case of men fulfilling the foregoing conditions.
  2. (b) That this allowance shall cease on marriage, and will not be given if other dependants' allowance is issued in respect of the sailor, soldier or airman.
  3. (c) That this separation allowance is payable only on application from the sailor, soldier, or airman, or his parents.
  4. (d) That the Special Grants Committee Part II. Regulation (9, b) shall be extended so as to cover all cases where a parent can show that an allowance is necessary and that the son would have been receiving wages which would have enabled him to make a contribution if he had remained in civil life.
  5. (e) That this allowance shall be payable as from the first pay day in October, 1918, and that the extension of the Special Grants Committee's Regulations (9, b) shall take effect from the same date.
  6. (f) That the present rules governing the amount of maximum separation allowance payable on behalf of several men serving, in respect of each individual dependant, shall not be affected by reason of the establishment of this new allowance.
  7. (g) That the word "parent" includes the grandparent or other person who has been in the place of a parent to a sailor, soldier, or airman, and has wholly or mainly supported him for not less than one year before enlistment.