§ Mr. Parkerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will state the cost of the kit required by a pensioner chief petty officer and of the uniform required by a retired commissioned warrant officer; and what gratuity was paid to each of them for this purpose when called up for service in the crisis of September, 1938, and for the present war, respectively?
§ Mr. Shakespeare:Pensioned chief petty officers called up in September, 1938, and those called up this year received a clothing gratuity of £ 5 which was equivalent to the cost of the kit which they have to provide. Retired commissioned warrant officers, like other officers called up in September, 1938, received uniform allowances up to £20, with a maximum of £40 in exceptional cases. Officers called up this year received uniform allowances up to a maximum of £40, the amount varying according to the length of time the officer has been out of the service.