§ Commander Purseyasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of widows of naval ratings, with three orphan children of school age, who have to pay fees for a son at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook; and what are the reasons for such charges, in view of the fact that, until recently, no fees were charged for orphans.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuTwo. Fees were introduced at the Royal Hospital School, to enable Greenwich Hospital to fulfil its commitments, including the provision of full educational opportunities for orphans.
§ Commander Purseyasked the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the income limit, gross or nett, at which widows of naval ratings, with three orphan children of school age, who have to take full employment, are charged fees for an orphan son at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook; and what specific charges against wages are deductible in the assessment of income of such widows.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuThere is no such income limit. All cases are considered individually; and account is taken of exceptional expenses which parents are obliged to meet.
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§ Commander Purseyasked the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will state the first year in which officers' sons were accepted for the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, the number of such entries in each year since, whether they were orphans and the ranks of their fathers, stating whether cadet entry or lower deck entry.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuSons of commissioned officers have been re-admitted since 1949. The number of officers' sons entered in each year since 1949 is as follows:
1949 … 14 1950 … 9 1951 … 7 1952 … 13 1953 … 22 1954 … 22 1955 … 20 1956 … 30 1957 … 45 1958 … 43 1959 … 29 1960 … 38 1961 … 55 1962 … 37 1963 … 50 1964–65 (School Year) … 39 Records are not maintained in a form which makes it practicable to give details of ranks of the fathers, since rank is not relevant for the purpose of considering applications. No distinction was drawn between direct entry and other officers prior to the introduction, with effect from the Autumn 1964 entry, of a restriction of 10 per cent. on the admission of sons of direct entry officers. The 39 officers' sons entered in the 1964–65 school year i.e. the first complete school year for which the new arrangement was operated comprise 13 sons of direct entry officers, which included two orphans, and 26 sons of officers promoted from the lower deck. The classification of the sons of officers entered over the 16 year period could not be ascertained without considerable research, but the following table shows the classification of all officers' sons at present in the School:
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Direct entry Officers Officers with a minimum of 4 years service as ratings Both parents dead … — — Father dead … 5 3 Mother dead … 4 2 Both parents living … 67 130
§ Commander Purseyasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the first year in which fees were charged for entries into the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, the number of fees charged, and the total amount in each successive year.
§ Mr. J. P. W. MallalieuFees were first charged in 1957 and were applied only to boys joining the School from 1st January, 1957. Thus the number of fee-payers in each of the early years increased each term. The numbers paying fees at the end of the financial years 1956–57–1964–65, together with the total amount brought to account in each year, is given below:
Financial Year Number of Boys for whom fees were paid Total Amount £ 1956–57 … … 68 1,510 1957–58 … … 240 11,839 1958–59 … … 372 21,164 1959–60 … … 474 36,618 1960–61 … … 579 49,851 1961–62 … … 636 56,323 1962–63 … … 650 60,523 1963–64 … … 676 64,114 1964–65 … … 668 63,500* * Estimated