§ Mr. Pitmanasked the Minister of Defence for what reasons the welfare services hitherto rendered to the personnel of all three Services and to their parents and families by the commissioned welfare officers of the Army, who acted without pay or allowances, were discontinued and the officers disbanded; and what steps in substitution he proposes to meet the welfare requirements of serving men.
§ Mr. AlexanderThe Army Welfare Organisation was formed to deal with the exceptional problems of welfare during the wartime period. It was mainly an Army Service though it was also used to some extent by the Navy and Royal Air Force. The officers concerned were voluntary workers, but were entitled to claim travelling and other expenses.
The welfare of Service men and women and their families has always been primarily the responsibility of their 262W officers and N.C.O.'s, supplemented by the work of the standing voluntary organisations such as the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association. After a review of present requirements and for reasons of economy it has been decided to restore this position and accordingly to discontinue the special wartime arrangements.
I should like to pay tribute to the excellent and conscientious work carried out by the voluntary workers in the Army Welfare Organisation on behalf of all three Services and to the relief they brought to the urgent needs and anxieties of the men and women in the Forces during the wartime period.