§ Sir R. GOWERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether be will consider the desirability of permitting ex-chief petty officers in His Majesty's Navy to have their pensions paid to them through a bank in the same manner as is permitted to ex-warrant officers in His Majesty's Army?
Lord STANLEYThe rating of chief petty officer, Royal Navy, is not strictly comparable with the class of Army warrant officer to which the hon. Member refers. The Army warrant officers, first class, who are permitted to draw payment of their pension through a bank, rank with but after warrant officers, Royal Navy. Pensioned chief petty officers, Royal Navy, receive their pensions under the system in operation for naval (seamen and marines) pensioners generally, by which payment is effected quarterly in advance by postal drafts negotiable at any post office in the British Isles which may be selected by the pensioner. A departure from this procedure in favour of members of a particular class would he difficult and uneconomical from an administrative point of view. I regret that, in these circumstances, I am unable to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion.
§ Sir R. GOWERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the desirability of giving instructions that the practice of writing the pension number on the outside of certain envelopes addressed by his Department to ex-petty officers shall be discontinued?
Lord STANLEYThe arrangement by which Navy pensioners were required to write their pension numbers on the outside of envelopes addressed to them was part of the new system, introduced last April in the interests of economy, for1288W the payment of Navy pensions. In consequence of complaints that have been received it has been decided, as an experiment, to eliminate all reference to pension on the envelopes by substituting the word "Number" for the original direction, "State your pension number here." It is essential, to avoid delay, that the envelope shall bear some definite indication which will enable the man concerned to be readily identified. This change will take effect from 1st April next, when the next quarterly payment of pensions becomes due.