HC Deb 19 February 1948 vol 447 cc267-9W
Mr. Thurtle

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that when a soldier gets in debt serious stoppages are made from his pay, which leave him with a very small income, which is bad for discipline; if he will therefore impress upon paymasters the desirability of preventing soldiers from getting into debt for considerable amounts; and if he will employed by firms having quota obligations under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act in the Northern and North-Western Regions, Scotland and Wales; and whether, in respect of each region, he will state the numbers of registered disabled persons and the numbers of such persons unemployed.

Mr. Isaacs

I regret that the information required in the first part of the Question is not available; the statistics required in the second part are as follow:

consider making an order that soldiers should not in any case have an amount of more than 10s. deducted from their weekly pay in respect of debts.

Mr. Shinwell

It is the normal practice to require repayment of amounts drawn in excess of entitlement. The general principle is to restrict cash issues over a limited period rather than have a smaller recovery over a longer period and also to require repayment in proportion to the soldier's rate of pay. The man has a pay book which records his net daily entitlement and the amounts he has drawn in previous weeks. To a large extent, therefore, the prevention of a debtor balance is within the man's own control. The paymaster draws attention to any debt exceeding £5, but he cannot prevent excessive cash issues. Payment is made at units and notified to the pay office at the end of each month and since the unit may be serving overseas there is necessarily a time lag before the particular over-payment is brought to account. The regulation of cash payments is the responsibility of the soldier's commanding officer and attention has already been drawn to the desirability of avoiding over-payments. To limit deductions to 10s. a week would prolong recovery unduly in certain cases.