§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he expects next to review the monetary benefits attached to gallantry awards, with a view to standardising such benefits throughout the Services;
(2) how many First World War holders of the military medal have applied during the last five years for payment of the monetary awards introduced in 1945; and what replies he has sent;
(3) what is the current value of the 2½d daily addition introduced in 1945 to an Army or disability pension awarded in respect of Army service to holders of the Military Medal;
(4) when the monetary benefits attached to gallantry awards were last reviewed; how many such reviews have taken place 534W since 1945; and if he will make a statement;
(5) how many First World War holders of the Military Medal are still alive; and what would be the estimated cost of paying to them the monetary award of £20 paid to such holders after 1945;
(6) how many holders of the Military Medal have received the gratuity of £20 as a single monetary award since 1945;
(7) by what amount the daily addition to an Army or disability pension awarded in respect of Army service to holders of the Military Medal has been increased since 1945.
§ Dr. GilbertThere are monetary benefits attached to the following gallantry awards:
- Victoria Cross
- George Cross
- Distinguished Conduct Medal
- Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
- Distinguished Service Medal
- Military Medal
- Distinguished Flying Medal
Holders of the Victoria and George Cross receive a tax-free annuity of £100 and former non-commissioned ranks who are in receipt of a pension also receive a 2½per day addition to pension. The other gallantry decorations carry for Service pensioners an addition to pension which has always been at the rate of 6d or 2½p per day, although in the case of the last four decorations named above this benefit applies only in respect of an award for service after 2 September 1939. Where the holder has no pension entitlement he receives a single gratuity of £20 on discharge.
All these benefits are standard throughout the three Services.
From time to time there have been representations that the benefits payable should be uprated and that they should be introduced retrospectively for those who won the relevant decorations before 3 September 1939 and do not for this reason qualify for the monetary benefit. On each occasion these representations have been carefully considered but they have had to be rejected.
As to the uprating of the benefits, it has consistently been recognised—not least by many holders of the decorations—that their monetary value could never be related to the acts of gallantry. They are token sums and, although successive 535W Governments have considered the matter, no realistic method of increasing the basic amounts could be devised. However, an addition to pensions, like the pension itself, is subject to pensions increase under the normal rules. Thus a holder of one of these medals awarded during World War II and discharged to pension in 1945 would by now have had the annual value of the 2½p addition enhanced from its original £9.12½ to about £64.
The introduction of the benefits retrospectively for those who won the relevant decorations before 3 September 1939 poses problems not only of principle but of practicality. The scale of the problem is well illustrated by the fact that 116,000 Military Medals alone were awarded in World War I and we have no means of knowing how many holders of these and other medals have survived. The majority were not regular members of the Armed Forces and the administrative difficulties of tracing such personnel, or the beneficiaries of their estates, together with more general considerations of principle and cost, have always led to the conclusion that no change could be made to
Body Estimated cost of salary/fees 1978–79 Estimated cost of travel/subsistence 1978–79 £ £ The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors 80 25 The Flying Personnel Research Committee 750 1,100 The Electronics Research Council 1,650 1,350 The Meteorological Committee 450 50 The Meteorological Research Committee 230 240 The Aeronautical Research Council 1,500 800 The Defence Scientific Advisory Council 3,200 4,000 The Board of the Royal Ordnance Factories 3,300 None claimed These figures do not include elements of costs of officials who may be associated with these bodies. It is not possible, without disproportionate effort, to identify other related support costs, such as accommodation and basic administration, as they are in general not separately provided.