Miss Ward:

asked the Secretary of State for War when he will be in a position to make an announcement with regard to an increase in officers' pay?

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to announce any changes in the pay and allowances of officers?

As the Answer is long and contains a table of figures. I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Miss Ward:

Arising out of that Reply, which is very disappointing, may I ask whether the increases which I understand will be made will apply to the Navy and Air Force?

Yes, Sir, that is so.

Is it not recognised that junior officers are very much underpaid?

Miss Ward:

Could not my right hon. and gallant Friend make the statement at the end of Questions with the permission of the Speaker?

Certainly I could, but it is long and contains a number of figures, and I think that if the House study the Answer, they can see better what is being done.

Following is the Answer:

A good many statements have recently been made about the pay and allowances of Army officers which are misleading and are likely to do harm. It has been alleged, for example, that hundreds of suitable candidates have refused to accept commissions because of the expense involved: that a married second lieutenant receives in respect of his family only 3s. a day irrespective of the number of his children: and that a subaltern drawing us. a day pay with a wife and one child has to pay over £30 a year income tax on his pay. In view of statements of this kind, I propose to deal somewhat fully with the matter.

The general position is that an unmarried second lieutenant receives us. a day pay, together with accommodation, fuel and light and a ration in kind, or allowances in lieu. The issues in kind, or the allowances in lieu of them, are free from tax. If he is married he receives allowances in respect of the accommodation of his wife and family. Those allowances for historical reasons into which I need not enter differ according as the officer is over 30 or under 30 years of age.

In the case of officers over 30, separated by the exigencies of service from their families, the rates range from 6s. a day for a subaltern to us. for a general irrespective of the size of their families. For officers under 30 the allowance is 3s. a day in respect of a wife, 4s. 6d. in respect of a wife and one child and 5s. 6d. in respect of a wife and two or more children irrespective of the officer's rank. These allowances also are free from tax.

For the unmarried officer I do not think the total of the pay and tax-free allowances I have mentioned are unreasonable, particularly having regard to the increased burdens and restrictions which are continuously being imposed on the rest of the community. I am, however, considering whether anything more can be done, than is done already, to keep down the expenses which an officer necessarily incurs.

But in the case of the married officer I have been impressed by two criticisms made both inside and outside the House; first, of the distinction between over-thirties and under-thirties, secondly of the actual under-thirty rates. It is in the light of those criticisms that I have sought improvement of the present arrangements. I have decided that as a war measure there shall be an adjustment of the general framework of these allowances so as to make one code applicable to both under-thirties and over-thirties, based not on rank but on the size of the family. The new rates in the case of a family separated from the officer will be 4s. a day in respect of a wife, 6s. in respect of a wife and one child, 7s. 6d. in respect of a wife and two children, with an extra shilling a day in respect of each additional child. This represents, for example, an increase in the case of an officer under 30 with a wife and one child, of 33 per cent. over the present rate. It gives- 42s. a week free of tax in such a case without taking into account what an officer can fairly be expected to allot from his pay in addition.

The rates will apply automatically to all officers commissioned on and after 1st January, 1942. All officers commissioned before that date will be given the choice of coming on to the new code with effect from 1st September, 1941, or remaining on the old. For those coming under the new code there will be a change in the present rates and conditions when they are actually living with their families. Fuller details are given in the following statement: —

Under the new code all officers when living with their families will receive the rates shown in column 3 above, plus 1s. a day.

Note.—"Rank" for the purpose of these allowances means substantive, war substantive or paid temporary rank.

At the end of Questions,

With the permission of the House, I wish to state that the question of the rates of family allowances for officers in the Royal Navy, the army and the Royal Air Force has been the subject of joint consideration by the three Service Departments, and similar readjustments in family allowances are being made in all three Services. The new rates announced by the Secretary of State for War to-day will apply also to the marriage allowances of officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

I am glad to add, for my part, that the revised rate of family allowances for junior officers, which has been announced to-day by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War, has also been approved for officers of the Royal Air Force. As my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty has just indicated, the three Service Departments were jointly concerned with the Treasury in the deliberations which resulted in to-day's announcement.

Seeing that the Service Ministers, or the Prime Minister, have made improvements for the officers, might I ask whether they are aware that there is terribly deep feeling in the country particularly about allowances for the children of men in the lighting Services? In view of the concessions which have been made, would not they kindly look again at the question of children's allowances?

Some improvements have already been made daring the war, but I will certainly look into the matter.

In view of the fact that I put down a Question to the Secretary for War dealing solely with allowances for the families of serving soldiers, sailors and airmen, and that I was referred to the Answer on this point, might I ask whether there is to be any improvement in the allowances for the dependants of serving soldiers, sailors and airmen? If not, I was misled.

I think my hon. and gallant Friend had better examine the statement.

Do Ministers think that it is satisfactory for the wife of a serving soldier to have only 4s. a week to feed and clothe her child?

That can be answered only by taking into consideration the whole of the circumstances and the whole of the income.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are many cases of real distress among the families of men serving in all three Services; and, bearing in mind the high rates of pay obtaining for activities outside the Services, such as the production of war materials, is it not time that consideration was given to serving men and their dependants?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in many instances applications are being made to hardship committees for additional grants and that the committees say that that is not within their jurisdiction, and that, therefore, there is no opportunity for special assistance? Is there any way in which such assistance can be given?

Mrs. Rathbone:

Is there any discrimination as between operational pilots and those employed in other ways in the R.A.F.?

I am not sure what my hon. Friend means by discrimination. There is no discrimination against operational men.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if a sergeant pilot is wounded he immediately reverts to A.C.2 while in hospital, which is grossly unfair?

Major Cazalet:

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any alterations have been made in the allocation of pay towards officers, either married or single, on leaving officer cadet training units?

Arrangements have been introduced with effect from 1st September by which cadets will receive an advance of £18 5s. immediately before their appointment to commissioned rank in order to alleviate the position arising from the change-over from weekly to monthly payment in arrears. Arrangements have also been made whereby married officers may have their family lodging allowance paid direct to their families weekly in arrears instead of monthly in arrears for a period of three months to prevent any hardship that might be caused by the change-over from the payment of family allowance weekly in advance.