§ SIR BARRINGTON SIMEON (Southampton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has yet been able to lay before the Treasury any scheme by which pensions could be granted to the temporary civil assistants of the Ordnance Survey, after a service of a sufficient number of years; and, if so, whether he can state what answer the Treasury gave to his suggestion.
§ MR. HANBURYThe Board of Agriculture have submitted such a scheme to me semi-officially. There are, of course, serious objections in principle to granting pensions to men whose salaries have been based on the clearly-stated fact that they would not be entitled to pension; and even if those objections did not exist, I understand that the Board of Agriculture cannot name the particular civil assistants whose services will now be permanent. Permanency of employment is, of course, one of the conditions of pension rights.
§ SIR FRANCIS EVANS (Southampton)Is there no intention on the part of the Government to make this concession?
§ MR. HANBURYSubject to what I have said, if it can be shown to us that the staff is of the same character as in other departments, we shall look favourably on the granting of pensions.