§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENTI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is a fact that he has notified the City of Worcester that allowances paid to constables as firemen being of a fixed and permanent character they should be taken into account in reckoning pensions, subject to the ordinary deductions; and, in such case, if he will cause a Circular to be issued to the various Constabulary forces on the subject, or other notification made, so that the present divergent practice in this matter may be made more uniform?
§ THE SECEETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. ASQUITH,) Fife, E.I have intimated to the Watch Committee of Worcester, who, in pursuance of Section 2 of the Police Act, 1893, have directed that certain members of the Force shall be employed partially as firemen, and shall receive in respect of such service certain fixed weekly allowances; that such allowances, being permanent and in the nature of extra pay, should be made subject to the usual rateable deductions, and should betaken into account in reckoning pensions. In other boroughs, however, the allowance to police employed as firemen are not of this fixed and permanent character, and cannot, therefore, be so taken into account. Such a Circular would not be required for counties, nor even for all boroughs, but only for those in which the powers given by Section 2 of the Police Act, 1893, had been exercised, and certain constables had been told off to act partially as firemen. The Home Office has no evidence of great divergence of practice, and the Circular hardly seems necessary.