§ MR. W. WHITELAW (Perth)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he is aware that a former Governor of Lanark Prison received on retiring a pension calculated on the whole of his service, although he had served under more than one Local Authority; if so will he admit the claims of the five Scotch prison officers who ask that their pensions may be calculated in the same way?
§ * SIR G. TREVELYANI am informed that the officer referred to by the hon. Member had 15 years' service under the Perthshire Prison Authority and 17 years under the Lanarkshire Authority, or 32 years in all. He received from the Lanarkshire Authority, when he retired in 1874, a pension representing a service of 40 years. The Prison Commissioners cannot say by what sanction pension was granted at this rate, and do not know of any other Local Authority having granted similar terms. The Prisons (Scotland) Act of 1877 took a different view of the powers of Local Prison Authorities, which has been consistently followed for 16 years; and I am not prepared to admit claims based upon an 1673 isolated precedent three years before the passing of the Act which lays down the law clearly.
§ * MR. W. WHITELAWIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that police officers count their whole service? Is there any reason why they should be treated differently from prison officials?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANThe hon. Member had better apply to the Financial Secretary of the late Government, who strongly decided in the sense in which the present Government are acting.
§ MR. JACKSONTo which of my decisions does the right hon. Gentleman refer?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANIt may not have been the right hon. Gentleman; it was probably his successor to whom I was referring.