§ Major HORE-BELISHAasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that there are three employés at the Royal Naval Armament Depot, Bull Point, who enlisted on the 28th November, 1914, under the terms of the Treasury Regulation dated 11th August, on the subject of civil pay of civil servants called up for service with the Naval or Military Forces, which stated that their civil posts would be kept open until their return from Naval or Military service, and that such service would count for civil pension and for increment of civil salary; whether these boys joined His Majesty's Forces 12 days before reaching 20 years of age, at which age they would have normally received the minimum rate paid for adult labour; that these boys throughout the War wrongly received the emoluments of boys when they should have been receiving the emoulments of men; and whether he will date their appointments as labourers back to their twentieth birthdays so that they may receive their back money to which they are entitled and be allowed to count their service with the Colours towards gratuity or pension, in accordance with 920W the precise terms of the Regulation and in accordance with what would naturally have been the position had they deferred their enlistment, as they might well have done, by 12 days?
§ Mr. HODGESWorkmen employed in permanent or quasi-permanent situations in Admiralty establishments before the War, who were released for military service during the War on the understanding that their posts would be kept open for them, received payments in respect of civil pay whilst they were serving in the Forces. The payments were based on the emoluments of the civil situations which were actually held by the employés before joining the Forces. The employés referred to in the hon. Member's question were, therefore, dealt with in the same manner as other employés in similar circumstances, and no further payments are due under the terms of Treasury Regulation, or can be made, to these employés in respect of civil pay whilst they were in the Forces. For superannuation purposes the time served by these employés with the Colours is reckonable as service in the civil establishments, and the service of those employed as boys is reckonable from the age of 16 years.