A 5 10 BIL L [AS AMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE] For amending the Act for rendering effective the Services of the Chelsea Out-Pensioners, and extending it to the Out-Pensioners of Greenwich Hospital. W 6 & 7 Vict. c. 95. HEREAS by an Act passed in the seventh year of the Preamble: reign of Her Majesty, intituled, "An Act for rendering more effective the Services of such Out-Pensioners of Chelsea Hospital as shall be called out to assist in preserving the Public Peace," it is among other things enacted, that it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, from time to time, by warrant under the Royal Sign Manual, to order that such and so many of the Out-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea resident within any county or other district specified in such warrant, as to Her Majesty shall seem fit, shall be enrolled as a Local Force for the preservation of the peace; provided that the whole number of Pensioners so to be enrolled in the United Kingdom should not at any one time exceed Ten thousand Men: And whereas it is expedient that the provisions of the said Act should be extended to the Out-Pensioners of Greenwich Hospital, and that the number of Men authorized to be enrolled should be increased for that purpose, and the period of exercise extended: BE it Enacted, by The QUEEN's most Excellent MAJESTY, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, 20 and by the Authority of the same, THAT the said Act shall apply to such of the Out-Pensioners of Greenwich Hospital as may have served in the Royal Marines, in like manner as if they were out-Pensioners of Chelsea Hospital; and that the whole number of Pensioners of Chelsea and Greenwich Hospitals so to be 25 enrolled in the United Kingdom at any one time may be any number not exceeding Twenty Thousand men; and that they may be called out for inspection or exercise on any number of days not exceeding Twelve 15. 122. 1. Provisions of c. 95, extended to Pensioners 6 & 7 Vict., Greenwich and amended. Lord 2. Lieutenant of 3. Act may be amended. Twelve in each year; but that in the event of any of the Out-Pensioners of Greenwich Hospital, enrolled as aforesaid, volunteering their services to be kept on duty and pay for any period not exceeding Six calendar Months as specified in the said Act, they shall only be liable to be employed within the United Kingdom or along the Sea Coasts thereof, whether on shore or afloat, in such manner as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may be pleased to direct. 5 AND whereas it is expedient that the same power should be vested in the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for the time being, as is by the said Act vested in any one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, 10 so far as regards calling out the enrolled Pensioners resident in that part of the United Kingdom to assist the Civil Power; BE it Enacted, That it shall be lawful for the said Lord Lieutenant, or in case of emergency, any person or persons bearing his Warrant for that purpose, to call out such and so many of the said enrolled Pensioners resident in Ireland as he or they may deem necessary to aid the Civil Power in the preservation of the public peace within the district in which the said enrolled Pensioners reside, or within any adjoining district. And be it Enacted, That this Act may be amended or repealed by any Act to be passed in this Session of Parliament. 15 A BILL For regulating the Payment of the Out-Pensioners of Greenwich and Chelsea Hospitals. [Note.-The Words printed in Italics are proposed to be inserted in by the Committee.] WHEREAS an Act passed in the sixth year of the reign Preambler. c. 70. : of Her MAJESTY, intituled, "An Act to amend the Laws 5 & 6 Vict. relating to the Payment of the Out-pensioners of Chelsea Hospital," it is amongst other things enacted, That in every part or district of 5 the United Kingdom, for which the Secretary at War, with the con sent of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, shall have appointed any Officer on half-pay, or other person, to pay the said Pensioners, the payment of all pensions, allowances and relief granted or to be granted to disabled invalid and discharged Soldiers 10 shall be made by the Officer or other person so appointed, but that elsewhere the payment of such pensions should take place and be accounted for in all respects as if the said Act had not been passed: 15 20 And whereas it is now considered expedient, with the view of introducing one uniform system of payment and accounting, that the whole of the Out-pensioners of the said Hospital, wherever resident, should be paid by and under the authority of the Secretary at War, either by Staff Officers or such other persons as he, with the consent of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, may nominate or appoint to perform that duty, and that these Officers and others should, in like manner, be employed to pay the Out-pensioners of Greenwich Hospital; BE it Enacted, by The QUEEN's most Excellent MAJESTY, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by 105. A the 1. Repeal of c. 16. Repeal of part of 10 G. 4, c. 26, and 11 G. 4, c. 20. 5 the Authority of the same, THAT so much of the said Act as restricts part of 5 & 6 Vict. c. 70, the payments to be made by Staff Officers and others acting under the and of 7 G. 4, authority of the Secretary at War, to Chelsea out-pensioners resident in the United Kingdom; also so much of the said Act as relates to the money for the payment of the said out-pensioners being obtained on certificate by the Secretary at War, and as regards the audit thereof by the Commissioners for Auditing the Public Accounts; and also so much of an Act passed in the seventh year of the reign of King GEORGE the Fourth, intituled, "An Act to consolidate and amend several Acts relating to the Royal Hospitals for Soldiers at Chelsea 10 and Kilmainham," as relates to the payment and management of the Out-pensioners thereof; and also so much of two Acts passed respectively in the tenth and eleventh years of the reign of King GEORGE the Fourth, the former intituled, "An Act for transferring the Management of Greenwich Out-pensions and certain Duties 15 in matters of Prize to the Treasurer of the Navy," and the latter "An Act to amend and consolidate the Laws relating to the Pay of the Royal Navy," as relates to the payment and management of Greenwich Out-pensions; and also so much of an Act passed in the sixth year of the reign of King WILLIAM the Fourth, intituled, "An 20 Act for consolidating the Offices of Paymaster-General, Paymaster and Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital, Treasurer of the Navy, and Treasurer of the Ordnance," as relates to the payment and management of Greenwich Out-pensioners by Her Majesty's PaymasterGeneral, shall be repealed. Repeal of part of 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 35. 2. Repeal of part of 2 & 3 Vict. c. 51, as to repayment of relief granted to Chelsea and Greenwich Out-Fen sioners. 3. Secretary at War to regulate payment of Out-Pensioners. 25 AND whereas it is expedient that provision should be made for the more easy recovery of relief given or money advanced to Pensioners by Guardians and other officers concerned in the administration of relief to the Poor; BE it Enacted, That, from and after the passing of this Act, so much of an Act passed in the third year of the reign 30 of Her Majesty, intituled, "An Act to regulate the Payment and Assignment, in certain Cases, of Pensions granted for Service in Her Majesty's Army, Navy, Royal Marines and Ordnance," as relates to the repayment of relief administered to Chelsea or Greenwich Outpensioners, shall be repealed. And be it Enacted, That, from and after the 35 it shall be lawful for the Secretary at War for the time being to make such rules and regulations for the management and payment of the Chelsea and Greenwich Out-pensioners, whether residing in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and for paying them 40 either weekly, monthly or quarterly in advance, in the case of the Chelsea Pensioners, and weekly, monthly or quarterly in arrear, in the case of the Greenwich Pensioners, as shall appear to him best calculated for their and the public advantage, and either by means of Staff Staff Officers appointed or to be appointed by him for that purpose under the existing regulations, or by means of such other person or persons as may be approved and sanctioned by the Commissioners of the Treasury, and upon the production of such proof of title to Pen5 sion as he, with the consent aforesaid, may consider necessary. And be it Enacted, That, from and after the passing of this Act, all payments made by the Secretary at War to or on account of the Pensioners aforesaid, and the expenses of every description connected with their management and payment, shall be audited and passed by 10 him in the same manner as the accounts of the Army Effective Services are now audited and passed. And be it Enacted, That nothing in this Act contained shall be held to interfere with the powers possessed by the Lord High Admiral or the Commissioners of the Admiralty and the Commissioners of 15 Chelsea Hospital respectively, in regard to granting, increasing, reducing, suspending, taking away or restoring of pension, under the authority of existing Acts of Parliament and of the present regulations, or for the purpose of abridging, taking away or interfering with any power, authority or duty of the said Lord High Admiral or 20 Commissioners other than by this Act is expressly provided. And be it Enacted, That any person or persons guilty of fraudulently receiving, or endeavouring to receive, Pension Money, or money in the nature of Pension, from the Secretary at War, or from any Officer or other person employed or authorized by him to pay 25 Pensions, shall, upon conviction, be subjected to the same pains and penalties as are prescribed by the several Acts hereinbefore recited, or any of them, in the cases of frauds committed or attempted to be committed upon the Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital, the Lord High Admiral, or the Commissioners of the Admi30 ralty, the Treasurer of the Navy, and the Paymaster-general. And be it Enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Secretary at War, with the concurrence of the Lord High Admiral or Commissioners of the Admiralty, in all cases in which it may be deemed expedient, to 35 restore any Greenwich Pensioner who shall have been convicted of felony, and thereby shall have forfeited his pension, either to his original pension, or to any less rate of pension. And be it Enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Secretary at War, with the consent of any Greenwich or Chelsea Pensioner 40 residing temporarily out of the United Kingdom, to pay to his wife, or if he have no wife, to or for the benefit of his child or children, such portion of his pension as may be agreed upon, and that the 105. A 2 receipt |