§ Mr. Dobbieasked the Secretary of State for War whether in view of the fact that 148,000 dependants of the fighting forces have made application for assistance on the grounds of hardship to the War Service Allowances Committee, and having regard to the war increases in wages granted to industrial workers, and the proposed increase in unemployment pay owing to increased cost of living, he will now consider the advisability of bringing the allowance to soldiers' wives and dependants to something approaching a standard of £1 10s. per week for a wife and 6s. per week for each child?
§ Mr. EdenI understand that, of the 148,000 claims to which my hon. Friend refers, between 35 and 40 per cent. were not substantiated, but that the bulk of the other cases have been settled and payments to meet the hardship have been made. I would point out that the standard rates of allowance for children have already been twice reviewed since the beginning of the war and substantially improved. The rates for dependants were also recently under review and were improved in certain respects. As my hon. Friend is aware, dependants' allowance is related to the family income as well as to the pre-enlistment contribution of the soldier. The circumstances of families and dependants of soldiers in war time are various and hard cases are being met by the existence of the War Service Grants Advisory Committee. At the same time I am fully alive to the position of soldiers' families and their needs, and I can assure my hon. Friend that I have the position under review.