§ Sir C. YATEasked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the fact that Royal Engineer lieutenant-colonels serving on continuous service in India have to serve sometimes 27 or 27½ years for promotion to lieutenant-colonel, owing to the system of seniority prevailing in the Royal Engineers, whereas an Indian Army officer gets his promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 26 years' service, and that consequently under the new pension rules a Royal Engineer lieutenant-colonel after 30 years' service is only entitled to a pension of £755 compared with an Indian Army lieutenant-colonel's pension of £800; and will he consider the question of allowing Royal Engineer officers eligible for Indian pensions to count their rank element for pension from 26 years' service if their promotion by seniority is over that time?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe question of the application of the revised rates of Indian Army pensions to Royal Engineer officers serving in India is now under reference to the Government of India, and when their recommendations are received will be carefully considered.