§ MR. SCHWANNI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the Manchester Watch Committee, who have lately revised the pay of the police force in their employ, will not grant any pensions, under the new scale of pay, to men who retire before the expiration of 12 months from the introduction of the new scale of pay, even though certain of the men have been in the police force for more than 25 years, which is the time fixed for their retirement; is this refusal in accordance with the terms of the Police Superannuation Act of last year; and are police officers entitled to a pension in proportion to the rate of pay they are receiving at the date of their retirement, and to retire at the expiration of 25 years of service?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS, Birmingham, E.)I am informed by the Chairman of the Manchester Watch Committee that no Resolution has been adopted whereby 401 any benefits which members of the Manchester Police Force are entitled to under the Police Act, 1890, in consequence of an increase of their pay, are to be withheld from them, and the Watch Committee have no intention of coming to any such Resolution. The answer as to the pensions in proportion to rate of pay will be found in Section 1 (a) and Part III. of the first schedule of the Police Act, 1890.