§ Following the decision, announced to Parliament on 3rd November, 1948, that the State would in future meet in full the reasonable cost (including Purchase Tax) of officers uniform on first commissioning subject to prescribed scales and standards, the present rates of outfit allowance have been reviewed and new rates agreed as set out below.
§ The principle which has been followed is that as many articles as possible of officers' uniform should be issued from Service stocks without charge, because in this way a very substantial saving to public funds can be made without disadvantage to officers; a cash grant will be given to cover the reasonable cost of the remainder including those articles of uniform which must be tailor-made if the requisite standard of smartness is to be maintained.
§ The new provisions will be brought into effect generally from 3rd November, 1948, the date of my previous announcement, but retrospective adjustment will be made for Regular Army and R.A.F. officers to the dates from which the first officers passed out since the war from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and the R.A.F. College, Cranwell. The case of Regular officers in the Navy raises problems special to that Service, and for these officers the question of restrospection before 3rd November, 1948, is under consideration. Retrospective effect will not be given to the new rates in the case of certain officers commissioned for less than two years, including National Service officers, as the rates of allowance for them will be lower than formerly owing to the fact that these officers will not in future be required to provide themselves with the full scale of uniform of Regular Officers.
§ The new rates set out below do not include the cost of tropical kit. The additional rates of allowance to cover this are still under consideration.
27W| RATES OF ALLOWANCE | ||||
| ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL MARINES | ||||
| Category of Officer | Present Rate | New Rate | ||
| Cash Grant | Cost to the Services of Free Issues | |||
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| 1. | R.N | 60 | 103 | 17 |
| 2. | Addition for R.N. officers appointed to serve with R.M. units in the field | 37 | 15 | 3 |
| 3. | R.M | 60 | 144 | 12 |
| 4. | W.R.N.S | 55 | 62 | 11 |
§ Note.—The rates for the following main categories have not yet been settled:
§ Chaplains,
§ Reserve and National Service Officers.
| ARMY | |||||
| Category of Officer | Present Rate | New Rate | |||
| Cash Grant | Cost to the Services of Free Issues | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | |||
| Regular Officers | |||||
| 1. | Dismounted (except kilted) | … | 50 | 90 | 5 |
| 2. | Dismounted (kilted) | … | 50 | 112 | 5 |
| 3. | Mounted | … | 60 | 147 | 3 |
| 4. | Household | … | 50 | 108 | 5 |
| 5. | Household—with addition for mounted duty | … | 60 | 169 | 5 |
| 6. | A.T.S. | … | 55 | 76 | 4 |
| 7. | Q.A.I.M.N.S | … | 50 | 93 | 1 |
| Short Service Officers | |||||
| (Commissioned for less than 2 years) | |||||
| 8. | Commissioned from O.C.T.U. (except kilted) | … | 50 | 29 | 2 |
| 9. | Commissioned from O.C.T.U. (kilted) | … | 50 | 32 | 7 |
| 10. | Commissioned direct (except kilted) | … | 50 | 29 | 9 |
| 11. | Commissioned direct (kilted) | … | 50 | 32 | 14 |
| Other Officers | |||||
| 12. | Territorial Army | … | £7 10s. Od. | 21 | 9 |
| 13. | Army Cadet Force | … | — | 21 | 9 |
| 14. | Combined Cadet Force | … | — | 21 | 9 |
| 15. | Supplementary Reserve | … | £7 10s. Od. | 21 | 9 |
| 16. | Catagories 12–15 above (kilted) | … | As above (12–15) | 21 | 15 |
| 17. | A.T.S. (T.A.) | … | £6 10s. Od. | 17 | 7 |
§ Notes:
- (a) The reduction in the rates for Short Service officers (who for this purpose include National Service officers) from the rates obtaining at present is accounted for by the fact that these officers will not be required to provide themselves with the full scale of uniform of Regular officers. As for other categories of officers, however, their allowance will cover the full reasonable cost of their prescribed uniform.
- (b) For categories 12–17 free issues, to a lesser value than that shown in the last column are also made under present arrangements.
- (c) The rates for the Chaplains have not yet been settled.
| ROYAL AIR FORCE | |||||
| Category of Officer | Present Rate | New Rate | |||
| Cash Grant | Cost to the Services of Free Issues | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | |||
| Regular Officers | |||||
| 1. | R.A.F. | … | 50 | 83 | 9 |
| 2. | W.A.A.F. | … | 55 | 90 | 6 |
| Short Service Officers | |||||
| (commissioned for less than 2 years) | |||||
| 3. | Commissioned after Service as airman | … | 50 | 14 | 14 |
| 4. | Commissioned from civil life | … | 50 | 14 | 15 |
| Other Officers | |||||
| 5. | Reserve—R.A.F. | … | £7 10s. 0d. | 14 | 16 |
| 6. | Reserve—W.A.A.F. | … | £6 l0s. 0d. | 20 | 13 |
| 7. | Air Training Corps | … | £7 l0s. 0d. | 14 | 16 |
§ Notes:
- (a) The reduction in the rates for Short Service Officers (who for this purpose include National Service Officers) from the rates obtaining at present is accounted for by the fact that these officers will not be required to provide themselves with the full scale of uniform of Regular officers. As for other categories of officers, however, their allowance will cover the full reasonable cost of their prescribed uniform.
- (b) The rates for the following main categories have not yet been settled:—
§ Chaplains,
§ Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service.