asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that ranker officers receive the pension of non-commissioned officers, but do not receive out-of-work donation under the scheme in operation in 1920; and whether he will take steps to see that ex-ranker officers receiving the same pension as ex-non-commissioned officers shall be accorded equal treatment in the matter of out-of-work donation?

The out-of-work donation scheme came to an end some years ago, and no payments under it have been made since 1922.

Could anybody claim arrears under this scheme?

No, Sir, I thick not. What the hon. Gentleman asked was whether I would take steps to see that ex-ranker officers receiving the same pension as ex-non-commissioned officers would be accorded equal treatment in the matter of out-of-work donation. My answer to that is that officers, whether ex-ranker or otherwise, were not entitled to out-of-work donation. The whole scheme came to an end in 1922, and did not apply to officers.

Is he not aware that these ex-officers claimed the money at the time before their claim as ex-ranker-officers was settled, and it was decided by the Government that these men were non-commissioned officers, and drew the pension as non-commissioned officers, and now when they claim the money which was due to them as non-commissioned officers they are informed that they are officers for the purposes of this scheme, and can he rectify that?

I think the hon. Gentleman is entirely under a misapprehension in regard to this matter, and in any case we could not reopen a matter which came to an end in 1922.