§ 69. Sir E. Erringtonasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the total amount of money made available annually for the award of compassionate pensions for good service to permanent Regular officers who are in need or who have met with misfortune; how many of such pensions have been issued in each year between 1949 and 1955; what is the highest and lowest amount paid; and how many of the recipients were in receipt of Service retired pay.
Mr. WardOne thousand pounds. The pensions awarded range from £25 to £50 a year. All these pensions are additional to retired pay. The number of new awards of compassionate pensions for good service to retired Royal Air Force officers during the years 1949 to 1955 is as follows: 1949, 14; 1950, nil; 1951, nil; 1952, 20; 1953, 3; 1954, 1; and 1955, nil.