§ Major HORE-BELISHAasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that in 1912 an additional 6d. a day was granted, with petty officer rating, to all shipwrights in the Royal Navy who desired to remain in the Navy after completion of 12 years' service; that those who had served their appenticeship in His Majesty's dockyard and desired to go back to the dockyard at the expiration of 12 years' service from the age of 18 were termed old system shipwrights and were not allowed to assume the rating of petty officer or to receive any rise of pay, and, if they had already passed for higher rating, such promotion was immediately stopped; that in 1916 3d. a day was granted to leading ratings and 5d. a day to petty officers, thereby involving a loss of 2d. a day to those men who decided to return to the dockyard; that, when the separation allowance was instituted, old system shipwrights received Is. per week less than petty officers; that in October, 1918, shipwrights received the chief petty officers' rating with all its advantages, but old system shipwrights remained still with only the leading rate; that old system shipwrights who completed 15 years' service and received their medal were not granted their medal gratuity of £20 although this was received by others and did not receive the old medal gratuity of £15; and that shipwrights who joined His Majesty's Navy on conditions identi- 950W cal with those of the old system shipwrights, and whose 12 years' service expired before the outbreak of war, were discharged to His Majesty's dockyard and called up again at the outbreak of war receiving two-thirds of their dockyard pay plus bonus and their naval pay in addition, whereas the old system shipwrights were compelled to remain in the dockyard; and whether he can see his way, in view of all that the old system shipwrights have lost in comparison with the others, to reassess their civil pay and bonus and give them the medal gratuities, so that they may be put, as far as possible, upon the same scale as those who enjoy the more favoured treatment?
Mr. DAVIDSONWhen the conditions of service for naval shipwrights were altered in 1913, the men were given every opportunity of deciding for themselves whether to come under the new system or to remain under the old. Having once made their choice, I do not think that they have any reasonable claim fur asking for the question to be reopened. It is not possible to treat those old system shipwrights who were still sewing their first 12 years' engagement when the War broke out as though they had already taken up civil employment in the dockyard. So far as good conduct gratuity is concerned the position is that the new scale associated with the good conduct medal, namely, payment of £20 gratuity concurrently with the award of the decoration, was introduced in May, 1919, and, so far as men already in possession of the medal were concerned, the gratuity was allowed retrospectively only to men (non-pensioners) who were actually serving on the 1st May, 1919. Men discharged or dispersed from the active service prior to the 1st May, 1919, were, therefore, ineligible to receive payment of the gratuity and no exceptions to this rule have been allowed. The old scale of gratuity, namely, £15, was payable only on completion of service for naval pension, and is not, therefore, applicable to naval shipwrights who have not earned a naval pension.