§ Mr. Montagueasked the Secretary of State for War, in reference to Command 6750, whether he will now give particulars of the new lodging allowances payable to members of the Armed Forces and furnish information as to the revision of other allowances referred to in paragraph 39 of Command 6750.
§ Mr. LawsonYes, Sir. The rates of lodging allowance have now been settled. A supplementary allowance, to be known as London allowance, will also be paid to personnel stationed in London to meet the extra cost of working in the London area. The basis of ration allowance has also been revised.
In the following statement reference is made to Army ranks, but all these arrangements apply also to corresponding ranks in the Navy and Royal Air Force and in the Women's Auxiliary Services:
Lodging Allowance
As stated in Command 6750 the separate lodging and fuel and light allowances of single officers now issuable in the Army and R.A.F, will be consolidated into a composite lodging allowance which will also absorb servant allowance. A composite lodging allowance will also be introduced for personnel below officer rank.
The daily rates of this allowance, to be known as lodging allowance, will be as follow:
Officers s. d. General Officers 20 0 Brigadiers 17 0 Colonels and Lieut.-Colonels 14 0 Majors and below 11 0 Other ranks Warrant Officers 5 0 Staff-Sergeants and Sergeants 3 6 Corporals and below 2 6 Lodging allowance will be treated as taxable income with effect from 6th April, 1947. The rates will apply at home and abroad, provision being made in local overseas allowance where necessary for 54W any increased costs of lodging at stations abroad.
London Allowance.
A London allowance will be granted to personnel, whether married or single, whose place of duty is within 10 miles of Charing Cross who are in receipt of lodging allowance or in the case of married personnel are living with their families and have not been allotted public quarters, to meet the extra expense of working in the London area. The daily rates of London allowance which will be treated as taxable income with effect from 6th April, 1947, will be as follow:
Officers s. d. General Officers 5 0 Brigadiers 4 6 Colonels and Lieut.-Colonels 4 0 Majors and below 3 6 Other ranks Warrant Officers 1 9 Staff-Sergeants and Sergeants 1 3 Corporals and below 1 0 The existing London allowance, which is payable as an addition to the family allowance of families of other ranks, living within the London Postal Area, will be abolished. It will, however, be included for existing recipients in the calculation of war excess on family allowance referred to in paragraph 51 of Command 6715.
Ration Allowance.
The rules governing ration allowance have been revised. Hitherto there have been different rates for the Navy, and the Army and the R.A.F., and officers of the three Services have received different rates from those issued to ratings and other ranks. Again, there have been different rates applicable to duty and leave, in the Army and R.A.F., and there has been a modified rate issuable to personnel allowed to make their own arrangements for feeding although Service messing was available. As from 1st July, 1946, there will be one rate of allowance to be applied in the three Services to all ranks whether on duty or on leave, but, except for married personnel residing with their families, ration allowance will not normally be issued to personnel who make their own arrangements for feeding when messing is available under Service arrangements. The rate of ration allowance which will be related to the retail value of the Service ration will be 3s. 2d. a day as from 1st July, 1946, and will, like the other allowances, be subject to periodical review. Ration allowance will not be taxable.