§ MR. HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, When he will introduce a Police Forces Superannuation Bill, and extend to other counties the promised provisions in respect of retirement after faithful public service accorded to the constabulary of the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire by recent Parliamentary enacments?
THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)I cannot undertake to introduce a Police Superannuation Bill this Session. With the leave of the House I will state my reasons. The annual expenditure which would result from such a Bill would be large, and would, if the Local Government Bill now before the House becomes law, fall upon local rates. I do not feel justified in asking the House to pass a measure of such financial importance to ratepayers until the County Councils, which the Government propose to create, have had an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the matter. In the second place, the system of Civil Service superannuation is now under the consideration of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service. Until their Report is before Parliament it is inexpedient to introduce a large extension of the system of police superannuation.