§ Sir J. Mellorasked the Secretary of State for War why married officers, under 30 years of age, are excluded from the special rates of family lodging allowance prescribed by Army Order 68 of 1941, for officers whose families remain at certain overseas stations?
§ Captain MargessonThe special rates to which my hon. Friend refers were introduced for the benefit of regular officers who in peace-time normally had their families with them at overseas stations and who were already entitled to family lodging allowance. As my hon. Friend is aware, officers under 30 years of age did not receive family lodging allowance in peace-time, but appropriate allowances were introduced as a war-time measure in order to provide for the families of officers under 30 who were called out for service or granted emergency commissions. The families of such officers are expected to remain in the United Kingdom, and, if they have in fact proceeded abroad, it has been at the officer's expense and risk496W and with his full knowledge that the allowance drawn in respect of his family will not be affected. As regards Regular officers under 30 whose families were at one of the overseas stations enumerated in Army Order 68 of 1941 when war broke out, they have already benefited from the fact that the allowances introduced for officers under 30, although primarily intended to meet the needs of the war-time officer, have been extended to Regular officers, and, as the families of Regular officers under 30 were not encouraged in peace-time to be at overseas stations, no further concession is warranted.