§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether men who served during the War as Yacht Patrol men are on demobilisation informed that they are not entitled to any gratuity; whether officers who served in this service are paid gratuities; why there should be such a distinction drawn in a service where the risk was shared by all; and whether he will arrange for the payment of gratuity to all branches of this service?
§ Mr. LONGOfficers who served in the Yacht Patrol under Agreements T. 124 and variants are eligible for war gratuity, as their pay while in the Naval Service was not brought up to the level of officers in the Mercantile Marine. On the other hand, the pay of men who served in the Yacht Patrol under similar agreements was adjusted from time to time during the War in order that their total emoluments should approximate, so far as possible, to those received by men of the Mercantile Marine. They are, therefore, regarded as ineligible for the seamen's war gratuity, which is only paid to naval ratings who received naval rates of pay, men paid at civil rates being excluded.