§ MR. FREEMAN THOMAS (Hastings)To ask the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been directed to resolutions recently passed by various poor law unions and conferences in favour of a central superannuation fund, and if in any Amendment of the Superannuation Act it will be made compulsory for poor law officers to retire at sixty-five: and whether, seeing that there are clerks connected with some unions who are nearly eighty years of age, the Local Government Board will suggest to the local board of guardians the need for paying greater attention to the retiring section of the Act.
(Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) My attention has been called to resolutions passed on the subject of a central superannuation fund. As to the second point, I am not aware that there is any proposal to amend the Poor Law Officers' Superannuation Act in the direction referred to. As regards the concluding part of the Question, it is competent to a 1350 board of guardians to require, any officer who has attained the age of sixty-five to retire if they consider that this would be expedient in the interests of the public service. It does not at present seem to me necessary to communicate generally with boards of guardians on this subject; but if representations were made to me that any particular officer is by reason of old age unfit for the discharge of his duties I would give the matter my attention.