§ Lieutenant-Colonel ARCHER-SHEEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that officers of the Royal Navy serving ashore are frequently kept waiting for three months and more for pay due to them owing to mistakes made in the Accountant-General's Department, and that this is a serious hardship, and whether steps can be taken to remedy the matter as soon as possible?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAIt is, I regret to say, true that a certain number of naval officers have been kept waiting for a settlement of their pay, and the matter has already been engaging the attention of the Accountant-General. This state of affairs is due to a variety of causes, mainly the great increase in the work devolving on the Department owing to demobilisation, the lack of experienced staff to deal with it, and the abnormal sickness in the Department since the Armistice was signed. Steps have already been taken to remedy the matter, and it is hoped that a considerable improvement will shortly manifest tiself.