HC Deb 04 April 1898 vol 56 cc48-9
SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether an ex-Minister of the Crown, having received a pension on making a declaration to the effect that his means are insufficient to maintain the dignity of his position, is ever required to renew the declaration; and, if not, whether, having in view that such a pensioner, recently deceased, left upwards of £350,000 of personal estate, he will consider the propriety of ex-Ministers in receipt of State pensions periodically renewing their declarations of insufficiency of means?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY

During the last 15 years the rule has been to require the recipient of a Ministerial pension to give an undertaking that if, subsequently to the receipt of the pension, he should have an accession of fortune, the pension is to be relinquished.

SIR J. LENG

How was it that this rule was not enforced in the case to which my Question has reference?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY

I imagine it was because the pension referred to in the Question was of much older date than the period subsequently to which the new rule has been in force.