§ Colonel DAYasked the Minister of Pensions, seeing that pensions awarded under Article 1163 of the Royal Warrant, 1914, are based on pre-War rates, he will 43W take action with a view to ensuring that the men pensioned under this article shall receive increase of pension in accordance with the Act of 1920 and other Acts of a more recent date?
§ Major TRYONThe hon. and gallant Member has, I presume, in mind the cases in which a pension under the Article referred to has been granted since the beginning of the War. If so, I would point out that, as explained in reply to a similar question put by the hon. Member for East Bristol (Mr. Baker) on the 10th July last, an award under Article 1163 is a reserved right available to ex-soldiers of the regular forces. Men who were originally pensioned under that Article during the War and later, are, in fact, receiving compensation which is in all cases as good as or better than that available for men fulfilling the same qualifications and dealt with exclusively by Ministry Warrants and post-War Warrants. Moreover, such men who may become qualified for higher rates either under Ministry Warrants or post-War Warrants have had their pension revised to such more favourable rates. The awards made in those cases are, therefore, outside the scope of the Warrants which were drawn up to carry out the intentions of the Pensions Increase Act of 1920 and 1924