§ MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in February, 1901, the Treasury, in a letter to the Board of Customs, stated that boatmen who had unestablished service should count this for pension on promotion to the established staff, so long as the work was of a similar character; and, as this is the case of many men, will he grant such concession to all Government servants.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I have been unable to trace the correspondence to which the hon. Member refers, and there is on record in the Treasury no general decision in the sense suggested, though certain Customs boatmen have in fact, where the circumstances of the particular case appeared to justify the concession, been allowed to count service prior to establishment in full for pension purposes.