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Soldiers Pensions

Volume 49: debated on Wednesday 24 July 1839

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Sir H Parnell moved the further consideration of the report of the Soldiers' Pensions Bill.

thought it useless to oppose the bill further, otherwise he would do so. He thought that if these pensions were paid weekly, instead of quarterly, that a great many of the evils that now existed would be avoided.

said, that the only object of the bill was to guard against frauds being committed on the pensioners, by enabling them, if necessary, to assign their pensions to a public and responsible officer, instead of assigning them as at present to shopkeepers and others who exacted a usurious interest. It was in fact a bill to restrict and not to promote the assignment of pensions.

The Amendments read a second time and report agreed to.

On the question that the bill be read a third time,

complained that by the second clause of this bill, the Poor-law guardians would have the right to demand the whole quarter's pension, if the soldier or any of his family had received parochial relief during any part of that time. He thought this a most unjust proposition, and it had sprung up, no doubt, at the suggestion of the Sommerset House Commissioners, to prevent a soldier's assigning his pension. He maintained that a soldier obtained his pension as a right, and not as a gift, and he thought therefore he should have the unrestricted enjoyment of it.

said, that these pensions were always granted without the power of assignment, and the principal object of the present measure was to prevent fraudulent assignments.

Bill to be read a third time the next day.